Somewhere Between Certainty and Destiny
GOD told Abram: "Leave your country, your family, and your father's home for a land that I will show you. I'll make you a great nation and bless you. I'll make you famous;you'll be a blessing. I'll bless those who bless you; those who curse you I'll curse. All the families of the Earth will be blessed through you." - Genesis 12:1-3 (MSG)
Imagine how Abram (Abraham) must have felt when God told him to leave everything that way comfortable and familiar to him to enter a land that God would show him. In other words, leave what you know and take a quantum leap of faith. After the directions, God gave made him a promise that if he obeyed he would be blessed. Not only would Abram be blessed but he others would be blessed through him. We love when God promises us blessings. We get excited and forget that between certainty and destiny we take a trip through the land of doubt, fear, and uncertainty.
Life is never a straight road. Sometimes we experience detours, wrong turn, or we simply lose our way. Destiny is a term we hear a lot whether it be in the secular world or the house of God. But what is destiny? The dictionary defines destiny as a predetermined course of events often held to be irresistible power or agency. I agree with the part about it being predetermined. I believe destiny is a destination. The events of your life orchestrated by God are leading you to the plan and purpose He created you for. I don’t believe your destiny is one single destination but many. You were destined to do many things.
While on the road of life, God is constantly giving you directions to get you to your destiny. However, there are times when you have to rely on the last direction you were given. What do I mean? There are times when God speaks to you a lot and there are times when He is silent. Have you ever used a GPS? A GPS is a great help when you are driving especially when you’re going somewhere you have never been. You start out at a familiar point and plug in the address that you need directions to. As wonderful as an invention the GPS is, here is one main flaw. Sometimes you stumble into an area where the GPS cannot connect to the satellite. Therefore the voice that had been guiding you becomes silent. But you continue to drive praying you remember the last set of directions. For what seems like a long and agonizing period, the GPS is silent. That’s how the Lord is. He gives directions and then is quiet. You begin to feel like He has left you and may wonder if you’re going the right way.
All of a sudden, the voice on the GPS comes back on and continues to guide you. Most of the time, you have been going the right way. Every once in a while, you’ll hear her say redirecting if you inadvertently made a wrong turn and she gets you back on track. That is just how the Lord does us. The awesome thing is that even if you have gotten off track, He still leads you to your destiny. You may be on the road of uncertainty on your way to your destiny as I am. I encourage you to keep the faith.
"I Am A Soldier"
I am a soldier in the army of my God.
The Lord Jesus Christ is my Commanding Officer.
The Holy Bible is my code of conduct.
Faith, Prayer, and the Word are my weapons of Warfare.
I have been taught by the Holy Spirit,
...trained by experience,
....tried by adversity,
....and tested by fire.
I am a volunteer in this army, and I am enlisted for eternity.
I will either retire in this Army or die in this Army;
But, I will not get out,
...sell out
....be talked out
....or pushed out.
I am faithful, reliable, capable, and dependable.
If my God needs, me, I am there.
I am a soldier.
I am not a baby. I do not need to be pampered,
...petted,
....primed up,
....pumped up,
....picked up,
....or pepped up.
I am a soldier. No one has to call me,
...remind me,
....write me,
....visit me,
....entice me,
....or lure me.
I am a soldier. I am not a wimp. I am in place,
...saluting my King,
....obeying His orders,
....praising His name,
....and building His Kingdom!
No one has to send me flowers, gifts, food, cards, candy, or give me handouts.
I do not need to be
cuddled,
cradled,
cared for,
or catered to.
I am committed. I cannot have my feelings hurt bad enough to turn me around.
I cannot be discouraged enough to turn me aside.
I cannot lose enough to cause me to quit.
When Jesus called me into this Army, I had nothing.
If I end up with nothing, I will still come out even.
I will win.
My God will supply all my needs.
I am more than a conqueror.
I will always triumph.
I can do all things through Christ.
Devils cannot defeat me.
People cannot disillusion me.
Weather cannot weary me.
Sickness cannot stop me.
Battles cannot beat me.
Money cannot buy me.
Governments cannot silence me, and
Hell cannot handle me!
I am a soldier.
Even death cannot destroy me.
For when my Commander calls me from this battlefield,
He will promote me to a captain.
I am a soldier, in the Army, I'm marching, claiming victory.
I will not give up.
I will not turn around.
I am a soldier, marching, Heaven bound.
Here I stand. Will you stand with me?
They Missed Him
Author Unknown
They were looking for a Lion,
He came as a Lamb,
...and they missed Him.
They were looking for a Warrior,
He came as a Peace maker,
...and they missed Him.
They were looking for a King,
He came as a Servant,
...and they missed Him.
They were looking for Liberation from Rome,
He submitted to the Roman cross,
...and they missed Him.
They were looking for a fit to their mold,
He was the mold maker,
...and they missed Him.
What are you looking for?
Lion? Warrior? King? Liberator?
What are you looking for?
They were looking for their temporal needs to be met,
He came to meet their eternal need,
...and they missed Him.
He came as a Lamb to be sacrificed for your sin.
...Will you miss Him?
He came to make peace between God and man.
...Will you miss Him?
He came to model servanthood for all mankind.
...Will you miss Him?
He came that we might have true Liberty.
...Will you miss Him?
He came to give you eternal life.
...Will you miss Him?
When we submit to the Lamb, we will meet the Lion.
When we join with the Peacemaker, we will meet the Warrior.
When we work with the Servant, we will meet the King.
When we walk with the Submitted, we will meet the Liberator.
When we concern ourselves with the Eternal, we will have the temporal.
If Jesus is not fitting into the mold you have then come to the mold maker and get a new one. Submit to His plan for your life and you will see the eternal need met first - then all the other things you have need of will be taken care of as well. Matthew 6:33
The Wall Of Resentment
Author Unknown
A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father in the department store he owned and, when he died, they took over the store.
Everything went well until the day a twenty-dollar bill disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill on the cash register and walked outside with a customer. When he returned, the money was gone.
He asked his brother, "Did you see that twenty-dollar bill on the cash register?" His brother replied that he had not. But the young man kept probing and questioning. He would not let it alone. "Twenty-dollar bills just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must have seen it!" There was subtle accusation in his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in. Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided the young men. They refused to speak. They finally decided they could no longer work together and a dividing wall was built down the center of the store. For twenty years hostility and bitterness grew, spreading to their families and to the community.
Then one day a man in an automobile licensed in another state stopped in front of the store. He walked in and asked the clerk, "How long have you been here?"
The clerk replied that he'd been there all his life. The customer said, "I must share something with you. Twenty years ago I was 'riding the rails' and came into this town in a boxcar. I hadn't eaten for three days. I came into this store from the back door and saw a twenty-dollar bill on the cash register. I put it in my pocket and walked out. All these years I haven't been able to forget that. I know it wasn't much money, but I had to come back and ask your forgiveness."
The stranger was amazed to see tears well up in the eyes of this middle-aged man. "Would you please go next door and tell that same story to the man in the store?" he said. Then the man was even more amazed to see two middle-aged men, who looked very much alike, embracing each other and weeping together in the front of the store.
After twenty years, the brokenness was mended. The wall of resentment that divided them came down.
It is so often the little things - like resentments - that finally divide people. And the solution, of course, is to let them go. There is really nothing particularly profound about it. But for fulfilling and lasting relationships, letting them go is a must. Refuse to carry around bitterness and you may be surprised at how much energy you have left for building bonds with those you love.
A story tells of a merchant in a small town who had identical twin sons. The boys worked for their father in the department store he owned and, when he died, they took over the store.
Everything went well until the day a twenty-dollar bill disappeared. One of the brothers had left the bill on the cash register and walked outside with a customer. When he returned, the money was gone.
He asked his brother, "Did you see that twenty-dollar bill on the cash register?" His brother replied that he had not. But the young man kept probing and questioning. He would not let it alone. "Twenty-dollar bills just don't get up and walk away! Surely you must have seen it!" There was subtle accusation in his voice. Tempers began to rise. Resentment set in. Before long, a deep and bitter chasm divided the young men. They refused to speak. They finally decided they could no longer work together and a dividing wall was built down the center of the store. For twenty years hostility and bitterness grew, spreading to their families and to the community.
Then one day a man in an automobile licensed in another state stopped in front of the store. He walked in and asked the clerk, "How long have you been here?"
The clerk replied that he'd been there all his life. The customer said, "I must share something with you. Twenty years ago I was 'riding the rails' and came into this town in a boxcar. I hadn't eaten for three days. I came into this store from the back door and saw a twenty-dollar bill on the cash register. I put it in my pocket and walked out. All these years I haven't been able to forget that. I know it wasn't much money, but I had to come back and ask your forgiveness."
The stranger was amazed to see tears well up in the eyes of this middle-aged man. "Would you please go next door and tell that same story to the man in the store?" he said. Then the man was even more amazed to see two middle-aged men, who looked very much alike, embracing each other and weeping together in the front of the store.
After twenty years, the brokenness was mended. The wall of resentment that divided them came down.
It is so often the little things - like resentments - that finally divide people. And the solution, of course, is to let them go. There is really nothing particularly profound about it. But for fulfilling and lasting relationships, letting them go is a must. Refuse to carry around bitterness and you may be surprised at how much energy you have left for building bonds with those you love.
A GOOD STRETCH
My strength is made perfect in weakness. — 2 Corinthians 12:9
Physical therapy is a painful necessity after knee-replacement surgery. Part of my routine involved my therapist pulling my knee back into a bent position and holding it taut. "Good stretch?" Mason would ask encouragingly. "No," I winced, "not that good!"
I soon learned, however, how important it is to stretch one's muscles and joints — sometimes causing discomfort — to gain full range of motion.
That wasn't the first time I've been "stretched" outside my comfort zone. God has sometimes urged me to share my faith with someone I didn't know very well, or to give an offering that was far beyond what I usually give or to confront someone about a situation.
Abraham's life illustrates the importance of faith when God asks us to move beyond our comfort zone. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called . . . He went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb.11:8).
While we stretch our spiritual muscles, we may feel discomfort. But God assures us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). Our adequacy - our sufficiency - is found in Him (3:5).
When you boldly step out in faith and obedience to God, you may be surprised at how a "good stretch" can strengthen your spiritual life!
"To stretch our faith, to take the risk,
God says we will succeed;
If we but ask Him for the strength
And grace that we will need". — Dan De Haan
Physical therapy is a painful necessity after knee-replacement surgery. Part of my routine involved my therapist pulling my knee back into a bent position and holding it taut. "Good stretch?" Mason would ask encouragingly. "No," I winced, "not that good!"
I soon learned, however, how important it is to stretch one's muscles and joints — sometimes causing discomfort — to gain full range of motion.
That wasn't the first time I've been "stretched" outside my comfort zone. God has sometimes urged me to share my faith with someone I didn't know very well, or to give an offering that was far beyond what I usually give or to confront someone about a situation.
Abraham's life illustrates the importance of faith when God asks us to move beyond our comfort zone. "By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called . . . He went out, not knowing where he was going" (Heb.11:8).
While we stretch our spiritual muscles, we may feel discomfort. But God assures us, "My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness" (2 Cor. 12:9). Our adequacy - our sufficiency - is found in Him (3:5).
When you boldly step out in faith and obedience to God, you may be surprised at how a "good stretch" can strengthen your spiritual life!
"To stretch our faith, to take the risk,
God says we will succeed;
If we but ask Him for the strength
And grace that we will need". — Dan De Haan
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