Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the LORD before Eli. And word from the LORD was rare in those days, visions were infrequent.  It happened at that time as Eli was lying down in his place (now his eyesight had begun to grow dim and he could not see well), and the lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD where the ark of God was, that the LORD called Samuel; and he said, "Here I am." Then he ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, lie down again." So he went and lay down. The LORD called yet again, "Samuel!" So Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he answered, "I did not call, my son, lie down again." Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, nor had the word of the LORD yet been revealed to him. So the LORD called Samuel again for the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli discerned that the LORD was calling the boy. And Eli said to Samuel, "Go lie down, and it shall be if He calls you, that you shall say, ‘Speak, LORD, for Your servant is listening.’" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.  1 Samuel 3:1-9

Did you notice at the start of that passage that the God speaking was a rare thing in those days? We do live in a different age – the Holy Spirit lives within each believer – but there is something we can learn. Samuel was a rare child – he grew up dedicated to God. He was different from the other kids and other people of his generation who lived for themselves and forsook following God.

Learning to recognize the voice of God is part of learning to hear the voice of God. It is just like when a friend rings on the phone – if they are a new friend you may have to ask who is on the phone, but when they are a good friend you recognize their voice. It takes time and conversation.

God wants to fellowship and communicate with us. That’s two-way communication. Why? Because you can’t really have a relationship unless there is true dialogue. How do we get to know a person? By communicating with them. By talking and listening. God wants us to know that He loves us and how to follow Him.

It’s the same with our relationship with God. He talks, we listen. We talk, He listens.

God loves us so much that He sent Jesus to take our place and to die for us. He did this so that we could once again have fellowship with Him. In the book of Hebrews we see that we can have access to God’s very presence, "…having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way…" (Hebrews 10:19-20a).

God speaks to us. We are His children. We also have the revelation of the Word of God that we can trust in and follow for instruction for life and knowing God.

The man who enters by the gate is the shepherd of his sheep. The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice." John 10:2-5

The Holy Spirit lives within us to reveal God to us – 1 Corinthians 2:10-11 – but God has revealed it to us by his Spirit. The Spirit searches all things, even the deep things of God. For who among men knows the thoughts of a man except the man’s spirit within him? In the same way no one knows the thoughts of God except the Spirit of God.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will bring glory to me by taking from what is mine and making it known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will take from what is mine and make it known to you. John 16:13-15

We are led by God – because those who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God. Romans 8:14

Does the Holy Spirit live within you? Are you a Christian? Are you a son or daughter of God? Then YOU ARE LED by God. God guides you. God speaks to you. That is the promise of God and the reality we live in. It may not be with flashes of lightening and angelic revelation but nonetheless God is speaking and guiding and it probably wont be until we see our lives from the other side of eternity that we see just how much God was speaking and leading us.

Are you confident and secure in the truth and reality that God speaks to YOU?

God spoke to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3), Habakkuk knew the sound of God speaking to him (Habakkuk 2:2). Elijah described it as a still, small voice (I Kings 19:12 ). However, I have found that usually, God’s voice comes as spontaneous thoughts, visions, feelings, or impressions.

For example, haven’t you been driving down the road and had a thought come to you to pray for a certain person? Didn’t you believe it was God telling you to pray? What did God’s voice sound like? Was it an audible voice, or was it a spontaneous thought that lit upon your mind? Or in a conversation you feel prompted to say something or to encourage a person? Or when praying for someone you get a picture or a thought that just seems random and that just popped in there?

Hearing the voice of God is as natural as hearing your best friend talk to you. He speaks to us in the natural moments of life. Do you want to hear God’s voice? Then you must be ready to listen.

And as we trust God to speak and trust that what we’ve heard/thought it God the easier it will be to discern His speaking as we listen.

read more from HEARING GOD SPEAK

i love THE 99% – INSIGHTS ON MAKING IDEAS HAPPEN site… and really clicked with this article about FINISHING YOUR MASTERPICE.  “Finishing masterpieces is daunting. Over time, motivation and desire fade unless we make deliberate strides toward our goals every single day. But getting into the mindset of being deliberate with our work is a paradigm shift. Being deliberate means that when we are working, we are always working on something with an end goal in mind.  Finishing masterpieces is daunting. Over time, motivation and desire fade.” 

love my spunky girl!  she’s full of style and full of personality.  she is delightful.

me and my husband are rewatching fringe.  i love it.  i missed all of season 2 because it was on too late or conflicted with something.  we watch at least an episode a night.  its good hanging out time too.  last night was my fav episode which i had already seen, where walter tells olivia about taking peter from the other universe.  awesome.

this arvo we took the bikes to school and had a good ride around.  evangeline “had forgotten” how to ride.  yes seriously.  we took her trainers off last September but since then perhaps she hasn’t done it enough but she had totally spooked herself.  we tried here at home the other day, unsuccessfully, to get her mojo back… but within about 4 seconds at the school, with lots of room to ride, she was away sailing!  because she was so brave, and we always love to have an excuse to celebrate, we had ice creams.  i had for the first time the cornetto enigma.  and yummo!

and as always.  i love Jesus with all i am and all my heart and all my soul and all my days. For His glory and the building of His kingdom and the rescue of the lost.

so what are you totally loving this week?

… check out what other peeps are loving whatever day of the week it is over at Paisley Jade

i’m working on our church magazine at the mo and busy finding images for each article.  i love when someone writes a science/creation type article.  lots of inspiration out there. 

Romans 1:20 says, For His invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the creation of the world, in the things that have been made. So they are without excuse.

The natural world, its intricacy, its order, its beauty reveal to us things about who God is.

When I look at creation I am reminded all the time that God is creative. And big enough. Creative enough and big enough to deal with my life and sort it out.

In the days when the judges ruled, there was a famine in the land. So a man from Bethlehem in Judah, together with his wife and two sons, went to live for a while in the country of Moab. The man’s name was Elimelek, his wife’s name was Naomi, and the names of his two sons were Mahlon and Kilion. They were Ephrathites from Bethlehem, Judah. And they went to Moab and lived there.  Now Elimelek, Naomi’s husband, died, and she was left with her two sons. They married Moabite women, one named Orpah and the other Ruth. After they had lived there about ten years, both Mahlon and Kilion also died, and Naomi was left without her two sons and her husband. Ruth 1:1-5

what a difficult situation.  famine.  a strange land.  foreign wives.  death.

i bet this wasn’t the future that Naomi had dreamed of.  i bet it wasn’t what she had worked her life for, what she had hoped for her sons.

life throws us unsuspecting curve balls.

i see this in my life, in my parents lives.  the things they had worked for taken from them because of injury and pain.

but i also see, in Ruth’s story how God is at work.  Ruth is in the lineage of Jesus. 

would Naomi have met Ruth apart from the famine?  apart from the marriage of her son? 

would Ruth have met Boaz apart from the death of her first husband and the leaving of her own lands to follow her mother in law into unknown territory?

the account of Ruth reminds me that God has my life in His hands.  He has a plan and purpose.  even for the famine.  even for the sorrow and loss.

my response is to trust Him.  that He will be my God and that where He leads i will go. 

We belong to God’s story which is bigger than ourselves.

God is intricately involved in the lives of His people, working for their good and His glory.  He was intricately involved in Ruth’s life to bring her to a place of hope and redemption.

We need to be transformed by the love and God in the same way that Ruth and Boaz are. Like Ruth, we can find ourselves in a place of fullness even after tragedy. At the end, she sits with a child on her lap and a husband by her side. We are reminded that in the midst of trial, we can trust His plan and care – not because we know how he story ends, but because we know that ultimately our inheritance is secure in our faith genealogy written ultimately by Christ. David, a man after God’s own heart is a descendant of Ruth, but is actually foreshadowing the provision of a Most Righteous King, Jesus Christ. This love of God is embodied in Jesus Christ, David’s greater Son, the One who has comes to save us from our sin so we might become children of God.  youversion note

I also love that God delights in redeeming unlikely people and using them for His purposes.  Ruth the Moabite woman.  Rahab the prostitute.  Samson the flawed judge.  Peter the hot headed fisherman.  Paul the persecutor.  David the murdering adulterer.  Me.

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.  Romans 8:28

We are assured and know that [God being a partner in their labour] all things work together and are [fitting into a plan] for good to and for those who love God and are called according to [His] design and purpose.  Romans 8:28 AMP

As it turned out, she was working in a field belonging to Boaz, who was from the clan of Elimelek.  Just then Boaz arrived from Bethlehem and greeted the harvesters, "The Lord be with you!"  "The Lord bless you!" they answered.   Boaz asked the overseer of his harvesters, "Who does that young woman belong to?" The overseer replied, "She is the Moabite who came back from Moab with Naomi. She said, ‘Please let me glean and gather among the sheaves behind the harvesters.’ She came into the field and has remained here from morning till now, except for a short rest in the shelter."  So Boaz said to Ruth, "My daughter, listen to me. Don’t go and glean in another field and don’t go away from here. Stay here with the women who work for me. Ruth 2:3-8

i like the way Boaz greets his workers.  He strikes me as a God honouring man, a God conscious man who walks what is inside his heart.

Because Ruth is a foreign woman, Boaz technically shouldn’t have given her a second thought or look.  But there was something about Ruth that caught his eye. 

and did you notice the beginning of verse 3… as it turned out… as it just so happened… a divine moment, a divine connection… God had ordered Ruth’s steps to Boaz’s field, the one person who could redeem her and bring amazing change to her life, the man she would marry and have children with, including a son who would become King David’s grandfather… it is one of those unmistakable God-ordained moments when everything falls into place.  God set it up for Ruth and Boaz to cross paths. 

Such an ordinary beginning – such an extraordinary moment of significance in her life.  She was at work, gleaming in the fields.  But it was a specific field that God had led her to. 

At the end of the story of my life, I think I will look back and see so many as-it-turned-out moments. So many things that just-so-happened. But that would mean I’m living in an as-it-turned-out moment right now. If I believe God is directing my paths, then…

…every moment is divinely orchestrated.

…every moment is strategic.

…every moment is God-directed.

If you knew that this moment was a divine moment, how would you live differently? If you knew this was an as-it-turned-out, God-directed moment, how would you respond?  Craig Owens

May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge. Ruth 2:12

There is reward for right living and obedience to God.  there is reward in faithfulness and diligence.  there is reward for a fruitful Spirit life. 

The time frame of the book of Ruth is that of the book of Judges, when very man did what was right in his own eyes. This was one of the lowest points in the history of the nation of Israel. They were oppressed by many nations and failed to, as a nation, maintain a consistent devotion to Yahweh God.

There was a literal as well as a spiritual famine in the land. The people, in desperation for survival, did what they felt (every man did what was right in his own eyes) they needed to do to survive. Elimelech took his family from the land of promise to the land of Moab, foreign territory. Elimelech eventually died a stranger in a strange land. His sons married foreign women, people not of the covenant, and these sons also died as strangers in a foreign land.

Naomi, due to the circumstances she was in, became a bitter, frustrated woman. Due to the choices of her husband, she, a covenant daughter of Yahweh, found herself a widow in a foreign land with no family or people of similar heritage to comfort her. Naomi heard that the Lord had visited Israel by providing bread and purposes in her heart to return to her homeland. She convinced on daughter-in-law to return to her family, but the other, Ruth, joined hersel to Naomi and refused to return to her former way of life.

Eventually Ruth met her redeemer and entered into covenant with him. She became a giver of life and the once bitter Naomi became a source of life and health for a new generation.

The person of covenant brought one who was a foreigner to the place where she would meet her redeemer and enter into covenant with him. This sounds much like the story of Jesus and His followers. The perils of venturing out on one’s own are revealed here as are the promise of restoration to those who return in brokenness and humility. The love of the Redeemer for the lost and saved alike is revealed through Boaz. The revelation that God sent bread as a sign of His presence foreshadows the work of Jesus, the bread of life.

As Boaz was eager to redeem and provide for Naomi and Ruth so is Jesus eager or redeem and meet the needs of those whom he is wooing to Himself. Let us see ourselves and the love of our Redeemer, Jesus, in this tale of redemption and covenant love. Let us partake of the bread of heaven and live!

youversion note

Choices have consequences. In choosing to go to the land of Israel, Ruth would have been an alien and would not have had an inheritance or a people to take her in. She would have had to rely on God’s grace and try to help her older mother-in-law to live. There was no welfare or jobless benefits. Those who did not work, did not eat. Ruth began to glean fields. The law in Israel left the corners of the fields and the grain that was dropped for the orphans and widows(Deuteronomy 24:19). She would work as she could and get food for her family. God’s divine providence placed Ruth in the field of Boaz, a close relative of Naomi’s. Boaz was also a descendant of Rahab, the harlot that hid the spies!

Because of her hard work and humble spirit and her choice to stay with Naomi, Ruth’s good reputation was spread around. Boaz heard about her and showered her with favor. (Ruth 2:11-12) In Israel, the closest relative to a widow had the right to buy the widow’s property and also to take the widow and continue the family line. Boaz was in that line. He was a possible “kinsman redeemer”. Boaz responded to Ruth’s humble appeal, purchased the field, and took her as his wife! Both Boaz and Ruth are mentioned in the genealogy of Jesus Christ! (Matthew 1:5-6)

"Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she said. “Spread the corner of your garment over me, since you are a kinsman-redeemer.” (Ruth 3:9)
Jesus Christ is our “kinsman-redeemer”. He is a “close relative” who has bought us back from slavery to freedom. When we humbly appeal to Him in faith, He will surely make the transaction for us as well! Ruth is the kind of Gentile bride for Jesus Christ. So are we! When we closely read this beautiful story, we get a glimpse into the heart of God and Jesus Christ! Thank the Lord for being our “Kinsman-Redeemer”! May we become our family redeemer too as we bring them the Gospel.

youversion note

When Enoch had lived 65 years, he became the father of Methuselah. And after he became the father of Methuselah, Enoch walked with God 300 years and had other sons and daughters. Altogether, Enoch lived 365 years. Enoch walked with God; then he was no more, because God took him away.  Genesis 5:21-24

our pastor, peter morton, preached an excellent message this morning about walking with God, from the genesis text above. these are my notes taken during the message.

he begun with a surfing illustration, sharing with us how you have to suck at something before you can be good at it, how you have to be patient at being bad so you can learn to be good.  like his surfing.

and like walking with God.  its a learned practice. and there may be good days and bad days in the experience, but as we practice it we will learn to walk with God. 

its interesting to note the pattern in chapter 5. 

someone is born.  has kids.  lives some more.  then dies.

enoch breaks the pattern.

he is born.  has kids.  lives some more. 

but the difference is that enoch walked with God and then was no more.  he didnt die. 

God can break the cycle in your family line. 

enoch is the first man recorded in the bible to walk with God (apart from adam and eve walking in the garden)

in genesis 4:26 it says that men began to call on the name of the Lord. 

how often do we call on God when we need Him? in an emergency? during an exam?  in traffic?  in a crisis?  He is our 111 God.

but enoch walked with God every day – not just in emergency moments, not just visiting God.

enoch had no bible, no law, no mentors to model how to do it, no dvds, no podcasts, no worship music on cd… BUT he walked with God!  (challenging to us who have everything at our fingertips!)

how do we walk with God?

1/ practice the presence of God

2/ pursue His priorities

3/ pour out for His people

1.  practice the presence of God

be God conscious, throughout the day turn your heart and mind towards God. think about Him as often as possible.

2.  pursue His priorities 

the interesting thing is that often His priorities are different to ours. eg we would choose bitterness and slander over His ways – forgiveness and love

the plans for our lives look like they bring life but they bring death, but the plans God has may look like death but bring life.

matthew 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.

3.  pour out for His people

enoch continued to be a father as he walked with God.  he had more sons and daughters. 

we dont hide away to walk with God but we live our lives in our real world.

how do you walk with God in the places you walk the most aka work, home, school???

A certain man of Zorah, named Manoah, from the clan of the Danites, had a wife who was childless, unable to give birth. The angel of the Lord appeared to her and said, "You are barren and childless, but you are going to become pregnant and give birth to a son. Now see to it that you drink no wine or other fermented drink and that you do not eat anything unclean. You will become pregnant and have a son whose head is never to be touched by a razor because the boy is to be a Nazirite, dedicated to God from the womb. He will take the lead in delivering Israel from the hands of the Philistines."  Judges 13:2-5

i have to confess that i find the account of Samson, the last judge of Israel, baffling.

yet even though Samson sinned, God still loved him, and used him to accomplish a task.

Samson is a flawed human.  he has issues with women, even visiting a prostitute.  he is vengeful and deceitful and doesn’t seem to regard his calling as something to be obeyed or to live a life worthy of it.

YET God uses him to bring deliverance from the philistines.

Samson’s life begins as miraculous child, longed for by his barren parents, with angelic visitations and signs of proof.

He was a man of destiny.

He was born to be a Nazirite, with restrictions and boundaries for how he lived his life.  this wasn’t a kill joy thing by God but because Samson was to be consecrated and set apart for a special task.   i also always see it as a character forming thing – you stick by the vow and CHOOSE obedience to it because you honour God above all else and CHOOSE to follow His life guidelines, and that there is reward in obedience.   Samson was to be set apart for God.

but time and and time again we see Samson choosing his own ways over God’s ways.  He went to parties where people probably drunk wine.  He touched a dead body.  He married foreign women.  He didn’t live a life worthy of his calling.  Samson made choices to indulge in what made him feel good instead of surrendering to God in obedience.

Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

i often wonder if Samson had lived obediently to God, if he had been more “righteous” it he would have accomplished more?

Yet at the same time i know that our own righteousness is not our own, but we are righteous based on the death of Jesus, the sacrifice of Christ, who covers me and redeems me and makes me innocent and righteous. 

in the same way then, i am like Samson.  a woman of destiny.  a flawed human.  living for my own ways.  called to serve God.  called to accomplish great things for His fame and glory and purposes.  i am so glad for the forgiveness of Christ, the one who has set me free and who has made me acceptable.   my walk is only worthy because of Him – because He gives me His righteousness as a free gift – and i then attempt to live worthy in response to Him.  I choose Him.  and when i fall, His grace covers me.

i must say after doing this devo i am profoundly moved by the account of samson, the flawed hero, and God’s grace poured out upon me.

But Samson’s hair began to grow again. Then Samson prayed to the Lord, "Sovereign Lord, remember me. Please, God, strengthen me just once more, and let me with one blow get revenge on the Philistines for my two eyes."  Judges 16:22, 28

i love the BUT SAMSONS HAIR BEGAN TO GROW AGAIN…  its not just about hair, but about grace.  the “secret of his strength” (apart from the supernatural part!) was his long hair.  the philistines cut it and captured him, but it begins to grow again.  God is the God of second chances.

at the end of his life, Samson prays.  He turns to God.

The Bible calls Samson a hero of faith;  faith,  not pain.   In his mighty death it sees the promise of an even greater salvation. Reading the Bible website

Samson has hit his bottom. He is at his lowest. He literally flirted with his downfall and fell hard. But even before his last prayer, it says in verse 22: "But his hair, though cut off, began to grow again." God is NEVER done with us. EVER. Our anointing, calling, ministry, that which makes us different from those who do not know God- that is inside of us. It is more powerful than any sin, hurt, mistake and backslide. His spirit is greater than any deed or word uttered by us or toward us. That’s why when he stood there between those two pillars, alone probably ashamed, broken, full if regret sorrow— his hair had already started to grow back. God’s hand on Him still. So he prays… Look down on me once more! Hid look down on me once more. Thank you for mercy, grace. Thank you fir hair growing back. Thank you for being the type of God that NEVER LEAVES our side! youversion note

for me, today, the offering is about 2 things:

1.  trust in God

we live in uncertain times… 

So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal. 2 Corinthians 4:18

money is temporary.  our security in this world is temporary.  but God is faithful forever – and He – though there is much evidence of His work in our lives and in others – is unseen.  Lets be a people that fix our eyes on God and put our trust in Him.   He is our provider.  He is faithful.  He is the one that opens doors.

in uncertain times it can be hard to give away, but by giving we’re declaring (and responding) that we trust God, its a token, or a physical evidence that we trust Him to provide and to be there.

This is our God.

Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the LORD his God, the Maker of heaven and earth, the sea, and everything in them— the LORD, who remains faithful for ever. He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry. The LORD sets prisoners free, the LORD gives sight to the blind, the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down, the LORD loves the righteous. The LORD watches over the alien and sustains the fatherless and the widow, but he frustrates the ways of the wicked.The LORD reigns for ever, your God, O Zion, for all generations.   Praise the LORD. Psalm 146:5-10

2.  love in action

This is how we know what love is: Jesus Christ laid down his life for us. And we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.  If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has no pity on him, how can the love of God be in him? Dear children, let us not love with words or tongue but with actions and in truth.  1 john 3:16-18

i read this last night and thought it was such a good challenge – as christians we ought to lay our lives down for each other.  giving is love in action.  we give to our church because our church is loving people actively, not just our own members, but the community and the lost.  our giving contributes to the things our church does.

Early in the morning, Jerub-Baal (that is, Gideon) and all his men camped at the spring of Harod. The camp of Midian was north of them in the valley near the hill of Moreh. The Lord said to Gideon, "You have too many men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands, or Israel would boast against me, ‘My own strength has saved me.’ Now announce to the army, ‘Anyone who trembles with fear may turn back and leave Mount Gilead.’" So twenty-two thousand men left, while ten thousand remained. But the Lord said to Gideon, "There are still too many men. Take them down to the water, and I will thin them out for you there. If I say, ‘This one shall go with you,’ he shall go; but if I say, ‘This one shall not go with you,’ he shall not go." So Gideon took the men down to the water. There the Lord told him, "Separate those who lap the water with their tongues as a dog laps from those who kneel down to drink." Three hundred of them drank from cupped hands, lapping like dogs. All the rest got down on their knees to drink. The Lord said to Gideon, "With the three hundred men that lapped I will save you and give the Midianites into your hands. Let all the others go home." So Gideon sent the rest of the Israelites home but kept the three hundred, who took over the provisions and trumpets of the others.  Judges 7:1-8

i love how God works.  just as He had an out of the box victory plan for Joshua at Jericho, He has an out of the box victory plan for Gideon.

its not usual battle strategy to send most of your men home. most military advisors would advise to man up, weapon up and that there is strength in numbers.  they would seriously question sending ANYONE home.  let alone reducing their army to just 300 against such a formidable enemy.

Realistically, numerically, logically and physically, Gideon’s army was not going to win the battle.  However, when you bring God into the mix, the normal is pushed aside and the supernatural comes into being.  

but it was God’s strategy and Gideon was obedient to listen to it and to do it.

Obedience isn’t some mysterious thing. It is saying “Yes” to the things God asks us. They may be things from The Bible. They may be more direct and personal things that God asks of us… to go here… to serve there… to give this… to not do that… to read this… to sacrifice that… Sometimes obedience doesn’t make sense… well not to our eyes, or the eyes of those around us. But to God who knows our steps and the perfect path to walk… it makes perfect sense and is part of the jigsaw of our life…

Obedience can be painful. Obedience can strike at the heart of the things we want to hold onto the most. It can cause us to walk in a direction we hadn’t planned on, and maybe even don’t want to. Obedience can put you in a circumstance and place that stretches your heart and faith.  Obedience is an expression of my faith. I believe and trust in God, therefore i obey Him and go where He leads and do what He says.

”You will never attain to the mountain of internal peace If you govern yourself according to your own will. This self nature of your soul must be conquered. Your directions, your judgement, your disposition to rebel must be subjected and reduced to ashes. How? In the fire of obedience, for it is there that you will find out if you are truly a follower of Divine love or self love.

One of God’s servants once said:

It would be better that you gather dung by obedience than be caught up into the third heaven by your own will.

What is true obedience? Obedience, to be perfect, must be voluntary; it must be pure and cheerful. But most of all it must be internal. I would add that it must also be blind and preserving.

Molinos from 100 Days in the Secret Place

His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of a man;  the LORD delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love.  Psalm 147:10-11

and when you look at who left: it was those afraid and those who “drunk unwisely” – those who were not aware of where they were or their purpose as an army, those who were not alert to the seasons and times.   those that positioned themselves properly stayed and were part of this amazing victory.  their lives were changed from that point as they were the men God used to bring deliverance to their people. 

this passage also reminds me that whatever enemy i face in my life – what every opposition or trial – that God has a strategy for me to get through it victoriously.  it may take some change and some sacrifice and some surrendering and some obedience, but if i follow Him, He will lead and guide me. 

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it.” 1 Corinthians 10:13 NIVUK

It is God who arms me with strength and makes my way perfect. He makes my feet like the feet of a deer; he enables me to stand on the heights.  He trains my hands for battle; my arms can bend a bow of bronze. psalm 18:32-34

“It was just after midnight, after the changing of the guard, when Gideon and the one hundred men with him reached the outer edge of the Midianite camp. Suddenly, they blew the horns and broke their clay jars. Then all three groups blew their horns and broke their jars. They held the blazing torches in their left hands and the horns in their right hands and shouted, “A sword for the LORD and for Gideon!” Each man stood at his position around the camp and watched as all the Midianites rushed around in a panic, shouting as they ran. When the three hundred Israelites blew their horns, the LORD caused the warriors in the camp to fight against each other with their swords.” Judges 7:19-22 NLT

A prophetic lady Sandy Warner wrote the following in 2001 (see her website www.thequickenedword.com)the following is just a segment that has always stuck with me since reading it, but I wanted to highlight the part about jars of clay.

“WEAK INSTRUMENT – A BROKEN CLAY JAR The instruments that the Lord used to defeat these Midianites are amazing. They carried hidden fire inside clay jars which they brought into the enemy’s camp. It was not until these jars were broken that their torches blazed. Of course the jars of clay are us and the light is Jesus Christ and His fiery passion within us. When we are broken and vulnerable before the Lord and before our enemies, we are in the place where God wants us to SHINE.

2 Corinthians 4:7 “For it is the God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us.” (2 Cor 4:5-7 NKJV)

When the angel of the Lord appeared to Gideon, he said, "The Lord is with you, mighty warrior." "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but if the Lord is with us, why has all this happened to us? Where are all his wonders that our ancestors told us about when they said, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up out of Egypt?’ But now the Lord has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." The Lord turned to him and said, "Go in the strength you have and save Israel out of Midian’s hand. Am I not sending you?" "Pardon me, my lord," Gideon replied, "but how can I save Israel? My clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my family." The Lord answered, "I will be with you, and you will strike down all the Midianites, leaving none alive."  Judges 6:12-16

There are some people in the bible that you just want to take by the shoulders and shake them or give them a slap… right? 

We KNOW the end of the story and if only THEY knew what we knew eh… We have the hindsight, or the foresight… since it hasn’t happened to Gideon yet to know the great things that God is going to do to and in and through and for Gideon…

As much as I want to slap Gideon – I also love him! He is an ordinary man living in difficult times that has an extraordinary encounter with God that changes his life. And it shows each one of us that we can trust the Word of God and that we can trust the promises of God and that with God we can do all things!

In fact I think Gideon would describe himself as even less than ordinary… in his first conversation with God he calls himself the least of his family, which is the least in his tribe, which is the least in all the tribes of Israel. He is threshing wheat hiding in a shallow pit instead of out in the open so the chaff blows away… Israel is oppressed and subdued by the Midianites and life is really really hard. In order to stay alive you didn’t stick your neck out and children were taught to survive, not succeed…

All of us hear the Word of God in the context of our life and the challenge is to not respond out of context but to take the truth of what God says and make that real in our lives…

Gideon heard the word of God – heard God calling him a mighty man of valour and he put it in the context of hiding in a shallow pit and calling himself a useless weakling.

Again God calls him a strong warrior, promising to be with him.

That is the key – God with us. In ourselves we are just us… human. Ordinary. Gifted yes, unique yes. But still human.

• 1 Corinthians 1:27-29 God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things—and the things that are not—to nullify the things that are, so that no one may boast before him.

• 2 Corinthians 4:7 But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, so that the excellence of the power may be of God and not of us;

One God plus one weakling is always a majority in any fight. ‘I will be with you’ God tells Gideon, and that is all that we should ever need to know.

Remember Philippians 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Gods word is truth. Truth. Nothing changes that. We cant dumb it down to our context. We need to lift our faith and experience and live it out, trusting God. God sees all and he knows all. He sees the past and the present and the future. He works in us to complete his plan and purpose.

The challenge for each of us is to not look at what God says in context of our lives and even the way we feel about ourselves, but to fix our eyes upon HIM and his truth… the God with us part. It is him that makes us succeed and overcome.

We need to know that God is with us and when God is with us we can do all things! We need not self-confidence but GOD CONFIDENCE – confidence in who God is and that he will act exactly as he says he will! We can have faith in God! Today we need to put our hope and our trust in God and step out and be all that God has called us to be. We need to believe His Word and what He says about us. We may feel small and insignificant but God takes our lives and demonstrates himself through us. Nothing is impossible with God and that means that when he is with us nothing is impossible for us! All things are possible because of the might and glory and power of God. Have confidence in God. Go and change the world!

It’s not wrong to feel fear.  It IS wrong to let that fear have the last word in your life. The people who accomplish the most astounding things for God’s glory aren’t the people who feel the least fear.  Often they’re the ones who deal with the most intense fear.  But instead of letting that fear disable their dreams, they start increasing their capacity for faith.  Steven Furtick

It’s all about perspective i think.  How BIG is God to you?  How POWERFUL is God to you?  The BIGGER He is the more we will trust Him and the more we will step out.  The more it’s all about Him and His power empowering us the more we’ll step out and be a jar of clay for Him to demonstrate His love and power through. The more we realize that it’s His power through us the more we’ll step out in faith to do the works He has called us to do.  The more we trust Him and have faith in HIS ABLENESS the more we’ll really live the adventure we’re called to live.

continue this with me in this series each friday… and check back at the previous series that all link in…

see I AM IN CHRIST SERIES here

see I AM CALLED SERIES here

see I AM CREATED SERIES here