GOD’S WILL IS BEYOND THE SCHEMES OF MAN!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

SATURDAY JUNE 28, 2025.

SUBJECT: GOD’S WILL IS BEYOND THE SCHEMES OF MAN!

Memory verse: "Now a certain man drew a bow at random, and struck the king of Israel between the joints of his armor. So he said to the driver of his chariot, “Turn around and take me out of the battle, for I am wounded."  (Second Chronicles 18 vs 33.)

READ: Second Chronicles 18 vs 12 - 17:

18:12: And the messenger who had gone to call Micaiah spoke to him, saying, “Now listen, the words of the prophets with one accord encourage the king. Therefore please let your word be like the word of one of them, and speak encouragement.

18:13: And Micaiah said, “As the LORD lives, whatever my God says, that I will speak.

18:14: Then he come to the king, the king said to him, “Micaiah, shall we go to war against Ramoth gilead, or shall I refrain?” And he said, “Go and prosper, and they shall be delivered into your hand!”

18:15: So the king said to him, “How many times shall I make you swear that you tell me nothing but the truth in the name of the LORD?”

18:16: Then he said, “I saw all Israel scattered on the mountains, as sheep that have no shepherd. And the LORD said, “These have no master. Let each return to his house in peace.’”

18:17: And the king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Did I not tell you he would not prophesy good concerning me, but evil?”

INTIMATION:

No plan of man can thwart God’s plan and purpose in the life of a child of God. Though man can scheme to stop the Will of God in your life, but rest assured that only the Will of God will prevail at last. God works His Will in all situations, with any persons, by any means, on any account, at anytime, and through any media. Therefore, child of God rest assured that God’s purpose in your life is as sure as day and night.

In the passage we read today, Ahab was Israel’s king who surrounded himself with prophets who gave him good news. Since these prophets were on the payroll of the government of Ahab, we could expect them to make pronouncements that were favorable to the king because their livelihood is dependent on their pay. It is expected that the hirelings usually never speak against the wishes of those who sign their paychecks. 

For this reason, Jehoshaphat was skeptical of the pronouncements of the hired preachers of Ahab. He wanted a second opinion. He did not consider Ahab’s paid prophets to be prophets of God, for he asked for a true prophet of God. Micaiah, a true man of God is expected to speak the truth regardless of his source of support. And since Ahab was living in wickedness, the prophet of God in this case could speak only that which was contrary to the wicked wishes of Ahab.

Four hundred paid preachers had preached a united message. The messenger that was sent to Micaiah wanted to intimidate him into conforming to the opinion of the four hundred prophets. Though Micaiah initially asked the king to go up against Ramoth gilead, but the truth was that the united army of Israel would be defeated in the battle and Ahab would be killed. Micaiah prophesied death for Ahab. Consequently, Ahab schemed to disguise himself to fool the enemy. 

Apparently the disguise worked, but that didn’t change the prophesy. A random Syrian arrow found a crack in his armor and killed him. God fulfills His will despite the defenses people try to erect. God can use anything, even an error, to bring His Will to pass. This is good news for God’s followers because we can trust Him to work out His plans and keep His promises no matter how desperate our circumstances are.

Just like Balak, who wanted Balaam to curse the children of Israel (Numbers 23), and took him to several places to try to entice him to curse the Israelites. He thought a change of scenery might help change Balaam’s mind. But changing locations or schemes won’t change God’s Will. Even Satan, with his accusations against the children of God, is unable to persuade God to go against His character. 

God is completely and eternally good. God may allow some unfavorable circumstances in our lives, but He usually uses any situations or schemes of man to achieve His Will in our lives. Evil and injustice seem to have upper hand in the world. Christians often feel angry and discouraged as they see what goes on. Even when God allows Satan to go along with his plan, He knows eventual outcome will work for our good.

God’s Will for us is supreme and prevails over man’s schemes. And when we communicate with God, we don’t demand what we want, rather we discuss with Him what He wants for us. If we align our prayers to His Will, He will listen, and we can be certain that if He listens, He will give us a definite answer—an answer of peace. 

Prayers: Abba Father, Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty. For all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Yours. Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, and You are exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come from You and You reign over all; and in Your hand is power and might; and in Your hand it is to make great, and to give strength to all. I will forever put all my trust in You, in Jesus' Name I have prayed. Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

Enduring When Obeying Hurts

 Enduring When Obeying Hurts

Looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross. (Hebrews 12:2)

What faith performs is sometimes unspeakably hard. 

In his book Miracle on the River Kwai, Ernest Gordon tells the true story of a group of POWs working on the Burma Railway during World War II. 

At the end of each day the tools were collected from the work party. On one occasion a Japanese guard shouted that a shovel was missing and demanded to know which man had taken it. He began to rant and rave, working himself up into a paranoid fury and ordered whoever was guilty to step forward. No one moved. “All die! All die!” he shrieked, cocking and aiming his rifle at the prisoners. At that moment one man stepped forward and the guard clubbed him to death with his rifle while he stood silently to attention. When they returned to the camp, the tools were counted again and no shovel was missing.

What can sustain the will to die for others, when you are innocent? Jesus was carried and sustained in his love for us by “the joy that was set before him.” He banked on a glorious future blessing and joy, and that carried and sustained him in love through his suffering. 

Woe to us if we think we should or can be motivated and strengthened for radical, costly obedience by some higher motive than the joy that is set before us. When Jesus called for costly obedience that would require sacrifice in this life, he said in Luke 14:14, “You will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” In other words, be strengthened now in all your losses for Christ’s sake, because of the joy set before you.

Peter said that, when Jesus suffered without retaliating, he was leaving us an example to follow — and that includes Jesus’s confidence in the joy set before him. He handed his cause over to God (1 Peter 2:21) and did not try to settle accounts with retaliation. He banked his hope on the resurrection and all the joys of reunion with his Father and the redemption of his people. So should we.

A Hiding Place for the Helpless

 A Hiding Place for the Helpless

How abundant is your goodness, which you have . . . worked for those who take refuge in you. (Psalm 31:19) 

The experience of future grace often hangs on whether we will take refuge in God, or whether we doubt his care and run for cover to other shelters. 

For those who take refuge in God, the promises of future grace are many and rich. 

None of those who take refuge in him will be condemned. (Psalm 34:22) 

He is a shield for all those who take refuge in him. (2 Samuel 22:31) 

Blessed are all who take refuge in him. (Psalm 2:12) 

The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; he knows those who take refuge in him. (Nahum 1:7) 

We do not earn or merit anything by taking refuge in God. Hiding, because we are weak and need protection, is not a work to commend our self-sufficiency. All it does is show that we regard ourselves as helpless and the hiding place as a place of rescue. 

In all those promises I just quoted, the condition of great blessing from God is that we take refuge in him. That condition is not a meritorious one; it is the condition of desperation and acknowledged weakness and need and trust. 

Desperation does not demand or deserve; it pleads for mercy and looks for grace.

DISCOVER YOUR MINISTRY AND DO YOUR GOOD WORKS!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

FRIDAY JUNE 27, 2025.

SUBJECT: DISCOVER YOUR MINISTRY AND DO YOUR GOOD WORKS!

Memory verse: "For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2 vs 10.)

READ: Matthew 5 vs 16; Acts 9 vs 36; First Timothy 6 vs 18 - 19; Titus 2 vs 4; 3 vs 8: 

Matthew 5:16: Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father in heaven.

Acts 9:36: At Joppa there was a certain disciple named Tabitha, which is translated Dorcas. This woman was full of good works and charitable deeds which she did.

First Timothy 6:18: Let them do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to give, willing to share, 

6:19: storing up for themselves a good foundation for time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life.

Titus 2:14 Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed, and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous of good works.

Titus 3:8 This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men

INTIMATION:

God created us and put us on the earth for a purpose—to serve His interest. We are individually put on earth to make a contribution. You and I weren't created just to consume resources—to eat, breathe, and take up space. God designed us to make a difference with our life. Most people are concerned about how to get the best out of life, but that's not the reason God created you. You were created to add to life on earth, not just take from it. This is one of God's purpose for your life, and it is called your "ministry," or “your service.” Jesus Christ, our example of what we are called to do, said: "Just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give His life a ransom for many." (Matthew 20 vs 28.)

“Good works” are acts of charity, kindness, or good will. They are works that are good, done for God's glory. They are good because they honor God and love people. They are works done for God's glory, by God's strength, as God commands. And when you do “good works,” you are serving the Lord. Therefore, whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive your inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ." 

Our “good works” are acts of service or worship to the Lord. Whenever you serve others in any way, even in carrying out ordinary tasks, you are serving God and fulfilling one of your purposes. Because ultimately we serve God, every job has dignity. The apostle John said that our loving service to others shows that we are truly saved (First John 3 vs 14). If you have no love for others, no desire to serve others, and you are only concerned about your needs, it is doubtful whether Christ is really in your life. A saved heart is one that wants to serve. Through the manifestation of God’s grace, Christians have been driven by faith to conform their lives to the Will of God. They do good works in thanksgiving of the grace of God.

Christians have been created anew in Christ by obedience to the gospel. They have been so recreated, not because of their good works, but for the purpose that God might work good through them. Christians thus work in response to what God has done for them. We serve Him out of joy, and deep gratitude for what He's done for us. We owe Him our lives. It is our works that manifest our response to the grace of God. Good works manifest the goodness of one’s heart. One judges himself, therefore, by his works, for it is in our works that we manifest our hearts. 

Serving God in your “ministry” is often misunderstood by most people. When most people hear "ministry," they think of pastors, priests, and professional clergy, but God says every member of His family is a minister (Revelation 1 vs 6; 5 vs 10). In the Bible, the words servant and minister are synonymous. If you are a Christian, you are a minister, and when you're serving, you're ministering. We are saved to ensure others are saved. We are healed to help others. We are blessed to be a blessing. We are saved to serve, not to sit around and wait for heaven. 

It takes your coming to Him and trusting in Him, for the revelation of all these in your life. And you come to Him by accepting what He did through His Son Jesus Christ for you in redemption; acknowledging Christ as your personal Lord and Savior. He saved you to accomplish His purpose for which He created you (Second Timothy 1 vs 9). In God's kingdom, you have a place, a purpose, a role, and a function to fulfill. That is His “holy calling.” This gives your life great significance and value. God has given you a unique combination of abilities and talents. Use them to serve and honor Him. 

Through salvation our past has been forgiven, our present is given meaning, and our future is secured. Therefore, seek ways to express your gratitude to Him. Have you ever wondered why God doesn't just immediately take us to heaven the moment we accept His grace? Why does He leave us in a fallen world? He leaves us here to fulfill His purposes. Once you are saved, God intends to use you for His goals. God has a ministry for you in his Body—the church, and a mission for you in the world. Seek yours from Him and serve appropriately!

It is the nature of those who have experienced the grace of God to show their appreciation to God for their salvation through good works. If one does not manifest good works in his life as a disciple, then he has little appreciation for his salvation. It is being ungrateful. We are saved, and should work out our salvation that we have in Christ. The Scripture says work out your “own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you both to will and to work for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2 vs 12 - 13). The exhortation does not say to work “for” one’s salvation, but to work it out. When one realizes the greatness of his salvation, he is motivated to do the good works to the glory to God. 

Prayer: Abba Father, my utmost heart desire is to serve You acceptably and in accordance with Your predetermined purposes for my life. I humbly ask that You reveal to me the hope of Your calling, and the give me the grace to abound in good works, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Fear That Draws Us In

 “Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.” (Exodus 20:20)

There is a fear that is slavish and drives us away from God, and there is a fear that is sweet and draws us to God. Moses warned against the one and called for the other in the very same verse, Exodus 20:20: “Moses said to the people, ‘Do not fear, for God has come to test you, that the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin.’” 

The clearest illustration I have ever seen of this kind of good fear was the time one of my sons looked a German shepherd in the eye. We were visiting a family from our church. My son Karsten was about seven years old. They had a huge dog that stood eye to eye with a seven-year-old. 

He was friendly and Karsten had no problem making friends. But when we sent Karsten back to the car to get something we had forgotten, he started to run, and the dog galloped up behind him with a low growl. And of course, this frightened Karsten. But the owner said, “Karsten, why don’t you just walk? The dog doesn’t like it when people run away from him.” 

If Karsten hugged the dog, he was friendly and would even lick his face. But if he ran from the dog, the dog would growl and fill Karsten with fear. 

That’s a picture of what it means to fear the Lord. God means for his power and holiness to kindle fear in us, not to drive us from him, but to drive us to him. Fearing God means, first, fearing to abandon him as our great security and satisfaction. 

Or another way to say it is that we should fear unbelief. Fear not trusting God’s goodness. Isn’t that the point of Romans 11:20? “You stand fast through faith. So do not become proud, but fear.” That is, what we should fear is not believing, not having faith. Fear running away from God. But if we walk with him and hug his neck, he will be our friend and protector forever.

SURRENDER TOTALLY TO GOD IN FAITH!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY JUNE 26, 2025.

SUBJECT: SURRENDER TOTALLY TO GOD IN FAITH!

Memory verse: "My soul, wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him." (Psalm 62 vs 5.)

READ: Genesis 22 vs 1 - 10:

22:1: Now it came to pass after these things, that God tested Abraham, and said to him, “Abraham!” And he said, “Here I am.”

22:2: Then He said, “Take now your son, your only son Isaac, whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah; and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I shall tell you.”

22:3: So Abraham rose early in the morning, and saddled his donkey, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and split the wood for the burnt offering, and rose and went to the place of which God had told him.

22:4: Then on the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes, and saw the place afar off.

22:5: And Abraham said to his young men, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.”

22:6: So Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it on His son Isaac; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and the two of them together.

22:7: But Isaac spoke to Abraham his father, and said, “My father!” And he said, “Here I am, my son.” Then he said, “Look the fire and the wood, but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?”

22:8: And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together.

22:9: Then they came to the place of which God had told him. And Abraham built an altar there and placed the wood in order; and bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

22:10: And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

INTIMATION:

Surrendering totally to God in faith means to yield completely to Him in faith. Surrendering to God is not passive resignation, fatalism, or an excuse to relax, or laziness. It is not accepting the status quo. It means the exact opposite: sacrificing faithfully your life to God. It can occasion suffering in order to change what needs to be changed. Surrendering totally to God in faith makes an overcomer in all aspects of life because your life is lived by the Owner and Sustainer of that life. 

God often calls surrendered people to do battle on His behalf. Surrendering is for soldiers of Christ, not for cowards. Likewise it does not mean giving up rational thinking. God would not waste the mind He gave you! God does not want robots to serve Him. It is not repressing your personality. Rather than its being diminished, surrendering enhances it. 

The more we let God take us over, the more truly ourselves we become because He made us. He invented all the different people you and I intend to be. It is when we turn to Christ, when we give up ourselves to His personality, that we first begin to have a real personality of our own. 

Surrendering is best demonstrated in obedience. You say, "yes, Lord" to whatever He asks of you. Surrendered people obey God's Word, even if it doesn't make sense. For instance Peter demonstrated the act of surrender in faith when he obeyed the instruction of Jesus, after a whole night of toiling without success: "Master, we have toiled and caught nothing; nevertheless at Your word I will let down the net." (Luke 5 vs 5.) 

Another aspect of a fully surrendered life is faith or trust. Abraham followed God's leading without knowing where it would take him. In the passage we read today, there was no debate with God from Abraham. There was no sleepless night, for he rose up early in order to carry out the introductions of the command. Sarah, the wife, was not informed of the matter, for Abraham told no one what transpired. He simply prepared for the journey and for the sacrifice, and then headed for the God-appointed location. 

When Abraham looked up after three days journey and saw, at a distance, Moriah, the appointed place of the sacrifice, he told the servants to stay back while he continued with his son Isaac, and said to them, “Stay here with the donkey; the lad and and I will go yonder and worship, and we will come back to you.” Take note of the “we.” Though Abraham had no previous experience of a bodily resurrection, he trusted that God would resurrect the body he would put to death hence his use of the word “we.”: In Hebrews 11 vs 19, the Scripture says of Abraham, “He concluded that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead, from which he also figuratively received him back.” 

Again when Isaac wondered concerning what animal they would use for the sacrifice, Abraham’s response was, “God will provide.” Abraham’s faith, therefore, went to the limit of trusting that God in the final minute would provide the sacrifice. And so He did. In his obedience, he demonstrated raw faith and total surrendering to God and His Will.

The supreme example of self-surrendered life is in Jesus. The night before His crucifixion Jesus surrendered Himself to God's plan. He prayed, "Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14 vs 36.) Jesus didn't pray, "God, if you are able to take away this pain, please do so." He had already affirmed that God can do anything! Instead he prayed, "God, if it is in your best interest to remove this suffering, please do so. But if it fulfills your purpose, that's what I want, too."

The most difficult area to surrender for many people is their money. Many have thought, "I want to live for God but I also want to earn enough money to live comfortably and retire someday." Retirement is not the goal of a surrendered life, because it competes with God for the primary attention of our lives. Jesus said, "You cannot serve both God and money" (Matthew 6 vs 24), and "For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also (Matthew 6 vs 21). 

We live in a materialistic society where many people serve money. They spend all their lives chasing after money, collecting, and storing it, only to die and leave it behind. Their desire for money far outweighs their commitment to God and spiritual matters. Whatever you store up you will spend much of your time and energy thinking about. I advice that you do not fall into the materialistic trap, because "the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil" (First Timothy 6 vs 10). Can you honestly say that God, not money, is your master? One test is to ask which one takes more of your thoughts, time, and efforts.

Genuine surrender in faith says, "Father, if this problem, pain, sickness, or circumstance is needed to fulfill your purpose and glory in my life or in another's, please don't take it away.” This level of maturity does not come easy. In Jesus' case, He agonized so much over God's plan that He sweated drops of blood. Surrender is hard work. In our case, it is intense warfare against our self-centered nature.

Prayer: Abba Father, I surrender totally to You. Yours I am, and Yours I want to be, do with me as it is pleasing to You, and give me the grace to follow You with raw obedience of faith, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen

PRAISE THE LORD!

The Death Trap Called Covetousness

 The Death Trap Called Covetousness

Those who desire to be rich fall into temptation, into a snare, into many senseless and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

Covetousness can destroy the soul in hell forever. 

The reason I am sure that this destruction is not some temporary financial fiasco, but final destruction in hell, is what Paul says three verses later in 1 Timothy 6:12. He says that covetousness is to be resisted with the fight of faith. Then he adds, “Take hold of the eternal life to which you were called and about which you made the good confession.” What’s at stake in fleeing covetousness and fighting for contentment by faith in future grace is eternal life. 

So, when Paul says in 1 Timothy 6:9 that the desire to be rich plunges people into ruin, he isn’t saying that greed can mess up your marriage or your business (which it certainly can!). He is saying that covetousness can mess up your eternity. Or, as 1 Timothy 6:10 says at the end, “It is through this craving that some have wandered away from the faith and pierced themselves with many pangs” (literally: “impaled themselves on many pains”). 

God has gone the extra mile in the Bible to warn us mercifully that the idolatry of covetousness is a no-win situation. It’s a dead-end street in the worst sense of the word. It’s a trick and a deadly trap.

So, my word to you is the word of 1 Timothy 6:11: “Flee these things.” When you see it coming (in a television ad or a Christmas catalog or an Internet pop-up or a neighbor’s purchase), run from it the way you would run from a roaring, starving lion escaped from the zoo. “Take hold of the eternal life.”