GODSmessenger
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Member # 4198
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ALWAYS WAIT ON GOD'S PROMISES!
All throughout the Bible, we've seen many examples of people receiving promises from GOD ... and then waiting for many years. Moses waited for 40 years before he became the deliverer of the Israelites out of Egypt, Abraham waited for at least 25 years before his promised son & heir was born, & Joseph endured many years of slavery & injustice before GOD fulfilled his dream about being a great leader. Why does that seem to occur? One reason is that our LORD wishes to prepare us for these great Blessings so that we don't misuse them or worship the gift instead of the Gift-Giver. He knows our flawed human nature better than we, ourselves, do -- and the tendency of human nature is to turn a long-awaited, much-desired promise into an idol. Another reason is that GOD wishes to test us throughout the waiting period -- to see if we will stay faithful to Him or abandon Him in a discouraged temper tantrum. For the record, GOD NEVER TESTS US FOR HIMSELF, FOR HE ALREADY KNOWS THE END FROM THE BEGINNING. He actually tests us for OUR benefit, to show us that He is has instilled the Faith within us to stay devoted to Him -- no matter how long it takes or how brutal our trials are. How many of us have secretly wondered if we would desert GOD'S ship when the going got too rough or many years went by since He made us a promise? I suspect that most of us have that fear, & that's one of the reasons He tests us. Once He has chosen us, we can never be plucked from His grasp. A third reason for testing is that we must grow up Spiritually, just as we must mature from infancy to adulthood. Anyone who truly desires to become one with our LORD will have to walk His Walk & expect to undergo the "Spiritual growing pains" of trials & tribulations. Remember, He is not going to give us powerful Blessings without any change or Spiritual maturity on our part. Would we give a 5 year-old the keys to a Corvette simply because he wants it? Of course not! That child has to mature physically & mentally & demonstrate that he's ready for the RESPONSIBILITY for driving privileges, right? So why would our infinitely wiser Heavenly Father treat His blessings to us any differently? As hard as it is to go through trials & wait endlessly for His promises(and, yes, it is natural to wonder if we were even mistaken about them when the wait seems to go on forever), we have to trust GOD'S Wisdom & know that His timing is the BEST timing.
However, we've also seen examples in the Bible of those who got impatient with waiting for GOD'S timing & tried to "help Him out" by acting on their own. Moses, for instance, killed the Egyptian who was beating an Israelite & ended up fleeing into the desert to tend sheep for 40 years until he learned patience & maturity. And, of course, we all know about Abraham & Sarah's huge mistake when they decided to "help GOD out" by siring Ishmael with Sarah's maid, Hagar. What was the result of that fiasco? Marital discord between Sarah & Abraham when Hagar became arrogant, a longer delay for the birth of Isaac (after GOD made it clear to Abraham that his promised heir was to come from the union between him & his wife), the eventual dismissal of Hagar & Ishmael from the household (think of the emotional injury to that boy to be passed over & then finally rejected by his father),& then Abraham was tested by being asked to sacrifice Isaac to make sure that this promised heir had not become an idol in his heart. However, the world today is paying for that mistake, for the wars in the Middle East are between the descendants of Ishmael (the Muslims) & Isaac (the Jews). Whenever we make an error & decide to act on our own without waiting on/trusting in GOD, we are not the only ones affected by our poor judgment; others invariably get hurt, as well.
If any of you are waiting on the fulfillment of GOD'S Promise to you, please learn from these Biblical lessons & just let our LORD accomplish all things in His own time. It may seem like it has been delayed, but GOD'S reckoning of time is not the same as ours & He will fulfill whatever He promised at the perfect time in your life.
Yours In Our LORD'S Service:
GOD'S Messenger Make A Difference Ministries
-------------------- Yours In Our LORD'S Service:
GOD'S Messenger Make A Difference Ministries
Posts: 19 | From: California | Registered: Dec 2004
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