A Simple Act of Obedience!

Luke 5:5 (KJV)

⁵ And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net.

It is interesting in life how we always find ourselves back at the same place we started with no results.  When we find ourselves back at the place we started with the same results, God is showing us we cannot do things on our own strength.

Have you ever struggled with a situation for a period of time?  Have you ever put every ounce of energy both physically and mentally toward solving a problem?  Have you ever done everything you know to do but your situation remains the same?  What do you do when you are tired after you have done all you know to do?  How do you continue to function when you are desperate for your situation to change? 

 

As we walk into the scene and setting of this text, we find Peter frustrated because of his lack of productivity.  He is a professional fisherman and he is still unproductive.  The text shares with us, it does not matter how much ability or skill we have in a certain area of life, we will experience bareness.  It is a part of the process God has to take us through to get us to trust him.  It also teaches us God is the governor of our seasons.  At some point doing our season of bareness God will give us radical instructions to follow.

It intrigues me how God does things sometimes.  It seems like he shows up at the most inopportune time and asks us to do ridiculous things.  Has he ever done that to you in the midst of your barren season?  He gives us radical instructions to see if we will comply.  A miracle can only take place when we follow through with God’s orders.  The issue is not if God can turn around our situation, but the most important aspect is if we will do what he instructs us to do. 

Obedience is what God is looking for from us.  When he instructs us to do something, we have to move right away.  Delayed obedience is still disobedience.  As you look at you life today, are there areas in your life you have disobeyed God.  Right now is the chance for you to start obeying God.  God can turn it around for you if you follow through with his orders. 

God bless and keep you is my prayer.  

The Discipline of Delay!

Psalm 40:1 (KJV) 

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry.

I recently had the fortunate experience of having to wait in a long line to check out at the store.  It was interesting to me because there were eight different lanes and a self checkout area, but only one lane was open.  I wanted to get out of line to go to a different line to check out.  A person about five spots ahead of me got out of line to go to the self check out, but the self check out area was closed.  So the individual had to come back to get in line.  He lost his spot and he would have to wait in line longer because he was impatient. 

Sometimes God makes us wait because he wants to show us we do not know what is best for us.  Sometimes we think there are better options than the path God has us on.  He also wants us to learn to trust him while we are waiting.  How many times has our impatience caused us to get out of line with God’s will only to run into an obstacle?  The frightening thing is God has a way of bringing us back to our point of exit so he can finish the process of developing our patience.

The psalmist David writes to share with us how he had to wait on God.  David was stuck in a pit for a long time.  Have you ever felt trapped in a situation and it seemed there was no way out?  So did David.  David shares with us, he kept on waiting.  Why is it so hard to wait?  I know society has set the pace for how fast things move around us, but we cannot allow society to influence us while we are waiting on God to deliver us.  David did something most of us do not do when we have to wait.  He prayed to God the whole time.  He persevered in prayer until God answered him. 

How long are you willing to pray while you are waiting on God?  Instead of trying to figure the situation out, ask God for the wisdom to handle the situation.  Many times God wants to give us wisdom in the midst of waiting, but we are moving too fast.   Waiting is designed for you to line up with the will of God for your life.    Have you lined up with the will of God in the midst of waiting?  If you have not, it might be the reason you are still waiting.

God bless and keep you is my prayer.

A Broken Vessel?

Jeremiah 18:4 (KJV)
⁴ And the vessel that he made of clay was marred in the hand of the potter: so he made it again another vessel, as seemed good to the potter to make it.

          A couple of weeks ago, I dropped my Ipad.  I thought because I had it covered and protected it was safe.  Little to my surprise the screen cracked.  When I discovered the screen cracked I was confused. I was confused because I thought covering the device would prevent it from being broken.    I did not realize how fragile the device is. Even though the screen was cracked, the device still worked and was able to carry out its purpose.  As I analyzed my situation, I could not help but see a couple of spiritual principles about life.  It does not matter how we try to cover ourselves, we are very fragile and frail.  It does not matter how we try to cover ourselves with  prayer, studying God’s word, or putting barriers up to cover our weaknesses, we will have an experience that leaves us broken. Life has a way of breaking us down.  Have you ever had an experience in life that broke you down, shattered your heart, or made your life feel fragmented, disgusted, or hopeless?

          Jeremiah in this text walks us into a potter’s house.  God gives him a vision to remind him of His sovereignty.  Often times when we are confused and life is spinning out of control God has to bring back to our remembrance that He is sovereign. This text reminds us we are broken vessels in the hand of a mighty God.  I want you to grasp the gravity of that statement.  It suggests to us all things are possible with us and our lives because God is in control of everything.  Often times we have to remind ourselves God is in control.  When we feel like giving up on ourselves because of how broken we are, remember God has a purpose for our life.  He allows us to experience our broken situation because He is developing us.  He works out our imperfections through our brokenness.  Often times God has to break our will so we will give into his will.  God does things in our lives to get us to surrender to His will. He wants us to recognize how fragile we are and how dependent we really are on Him.  Have you surrendered to God’s will in the midst of your broken situation?  Stop fighting against the will of God and let Him complete the work He has started in you. 

God bless and keep you is my prayer.

I Can Do It!

Philippians 4:13 (KJV)
¹³ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

          Have you ever faced a situation that seems impossible?  Have you ever had an obstacle that stole your courage to keep hanging on?  It seems as if no one cares and God has placed you on a shelf and forgotten about you.  What do you do when life throws one disappointment after another at you? How do you handle the frustration of not understanding what is going on in your life? Your life feels as if it is an obstacle course and you are waiting for the next hurdle to appear.  What do you do when you have lost hope and things look bad?  What do you do when God does not respond the way that you want him to? You have often asked yourself, “where is God?” It seems as if your life story is one let down after another.  It always seems like when you are on the cusp of experiencing a breakthrough there is always another setback. 

          The apostle Paul shares with us that our perspective is critical to us handling our situation.  Paul finds himself in a Roman jail cell, but he still has a positive outlook on his situation.  He did not know the outcome of his present situation.  Paul understood the key to him being productive in the midst of his situation was remaining positive.  The apostle Paul wrote several letters of encouragement to several churches while he was incarcerated.  How well do you function when the situations you encounter in life appear to restrict you?  Paul shows us how powerful positive thinking can be.  When we focus on the right things, we can be productive.  Paul’s focus was on Christ and not his situation.  Paul knew the only way he would survive was if Christ empowered him. Do you depend on God to get you through the rough spots in life or do you try to make it on your own strength?  Paul learned how to adjust no matter his situation.  If you learn to focus on Christ at your weakest point he will give you the strength to make it through.   

God bless and keep you is my prayers.