What's the Trouble?

Joshua 7:1-13
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Our congregation just finished off a series on the book of Joshua, and this was one of the stories that was told. The Lord had told the Israelites not to take anything and he will deliver the enemies into their hands. Once they arrived, they sent an army capable of taking down Ai's troops, but instead, 36 men were killed and they were chased back to where they came from. It was revealed later that Achan had taken a robe, shekels of silver and gold. Because of this, the Lord did not deliver them as he had went against his wishes.


Achan stole in secret, and when the army came back defeated, the Isaelites knew something was wrong. They just didn't know what. Sin is sometimes just like that; it comes to us secretly, and we know something is wrong, but we just can't put our finger on it. When sin becomes hidden in our lives, we must bring it to the surface. If we don't find the root of the problem, it'll continue to grow, and will grow despite cutting it down again and again, unless you remove the root that grows.

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Confession to God ensures forgiveness. 

Lessons Learned

Deuteronomy 8:1-10
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One of the things I struggle with the most is accepting that our timing, is not God's timing. To put it in perspective, God's like the giant ocean while I'm just a grain of sand. I want to be pulled into the tide, but the tide only comes ever so often. It's hard to accept sometimes that a few years wait, which is long for us, is only a blink of an eye for God. We get impatient far too easily. Sometimes, we think it's futile and we don't learn anything, but in everything there is a lesson from God.


"Remember how the Lord your God led you all the way in the desert these forty years, to humble you and to test you in order to know what was in your heart, whether or not you would keep his commands. He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna, which neither you nor your fathers had known, to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord." [Deuteronomy 8:2-3]


God shows us a lesson in everything. For many of these individuals, forty years is half of their life! They must have been complaining and losing hope every year, but God tells us it was to test where our heart is. For me, I know waiting forty years is incredibly long! And I'm not even twenty yet! And God also wants us to realize that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord. Yes, we may quench our physical hunger when we eat, but what about our spiritual one?


"Know then in your heart that as a man disciplines his son, so the Lord your God disciplines you." [Deuteronomy 8:5]


Things in life may be tough, but remember that God loves us so much, he has to discipline us to. What kind of Father would he be if he did not show us right from wrong? Righteousness from unrighteousness? The only reason why we suffer through life is because he loves us, and he wants us to walk on that narrow path. It never will be easy, but it will be worth it.

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To love God is to obey God.

Ant Safari

Proverbs 6:6-11
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Over the summer, a lot of us lose track of time really easily. For me, today, I decided I needed to clean my desk. I woke up, ate breakfast, showered and waited for my hair to dry. But halfway through, I decided to take a nap. I woke up about four hours later, and well, my desk still isn't clean.


"Go to the ant, you sluggard; consider its ways and be wise! It has no commander, no overseer or ruler, yet it stores up provisions in summer and gathers its food at harvest. How long will you lie there, sluggard? When will you get up from your sleep? A little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest-and poverty will come to you like a bandit and scarcity like an armed man."


God clearly tells us to not waste our time-to learn from the ant, who works continually without someone telling them to, to store up provisions and gathering its harvest.It needs no commander. By contrast, we are very lazy. We don't plan ahead, but we live in the moment. We don't think about how our laziness will add up, but we only look at instant satisfaction. Lets not waste time.

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In God's pattern book of nature we can trace many valuable lessons.

Unique.

Psalm 139:13-14

“You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it”.

The Bible says you were prescribed before birth. God knew what you would be like. He chose you, and he chose your characteristics. This means you are unique. There is only one you. There is nobody else who could be you. If you don't be you, who is going to be you? You are irreplaceable.

I read recently that there are 25,000 varieties of orchids in the world. If I had been God, I would have made a yellow orchid, a blue orchid, and a red orchid. Not God. The creator loves variety — 25,000 different varieties of orchids.

What's even more amazing is there are 4 billion varieties of people. And God made them all. You're unique. Nobody can be you. David says be grateful: “Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it” (Psalm 139:14 NLT).

Be glad you're you. God didn’t make you by accident. Can you imagine an artist whose paintings all look the same? How about a guy who paints 12 pictures and puts them up in his living room, then the pictures come to life and vote to all become like one. The artist would be disappointed. God doesn't want you to be like anybody else. He wants you to be you.

When you understand this, you will be less likely to fear rejection.

Rejection and Love.

Psalm 27:1

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; I will fear no one. The Lord protects me from all danger; I will never be afraid.”

The fear of rejection is based on two things. First, we all need to be loved — that's a fact. We all desperately need massive doses of love in our life to be healthy individuals. God says, "I want to love you." God is love, and he knows you need to be loved.

But, second, we develop the false idea that our need to be loved is solely dependent upon one person or a group of people. When you expect someone else to meet 100 percent of your need for love, you're asking for trouble. You're setting yourself up for hurt and opening the door for the fear of rejection. When you look to any other person besides God to meet all your love needs, he or she can't. There is no human being alive that can love you as completely and as fully as you need to be loved, and there never will be. Only God can do that.

So the first step in overcoming the fear of rejection is to put God in first place because he's the only one who can ultimately meet all your needs. 

Does God ever love us through other people? Of course. Does God want us to love others? Yes. Does he want to use us as channels of love? Absolutely. 

But, you will never have all your needs met by any person or group of people. God never meant it to be that way. They just don't have enough love. Human love is limited; God's love is unlimited and unconditional. No matter how deep your need is, he can fill it.

Worrying.

Proverbs 29:25a

“It is dangerous to be concerned with what others think of you.”

If you constantly worry about what other people think, then you’re caught in an emotional trap. You don't have to please everybody any more than you can please everybody. It's a myth to think that in order to be happy, you must be liked and approved of by everyone you meet. It's just not true.

Even God can't please everybody, and only a fool would try to do what even God can't do. Jesus said he only focused on pleasing God (John 8:29).

So how do you handle hard-to-please people? One thing you don't do is cave in. Just because you're a Christian doesn't mean you're supposed to submit and let others manipulate you. Romans 12:2 says, "Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold" (Phillips).

The truth is, no one can pressure you without your permission. If you feel pressured by someone, you're allowing yourself to feel pressured by that person. If you feel controlled or manipulated, you're allowing yourself to be controlled or manipulated.

You don't have to do that! It's OK to stand up for what's right. It's OK to be assertive. Many Christians are afraid to speak up. Many think it's more spiritual to just be quiet and put up with it all. But God doesn't expect you to be a doormat — and he didn't make you to be a wimp.

It's Okay to Ask

Luke 7:18-28
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Yesterday, I had a BBQ with a few friends, and the girls ended up having some 'girl time' to talk. My friend had an issue where she really needed some prayer and guidance. The just of it is, everyone is against what she is doing, but she is unsure if her actions are reflection of God's plan for her. There was a lot of doubt, and I told her that if you walk down that path, and it is in God's plan, he'll close the doors unnecessary to his plans. 


"...he sent them to the Lord to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?"" [John 7:18]


Even John the Baptist was doubtful of many things. He sent his men to ask Jesus if he was the Messiah, to ensure that his ministry was valid. Instead of accusing him of mistrust, Jesus stated the miracles he was doing, with witnesses, used things from the Old Testament John would understand, and even praised him. We question and we doubt because it's our human nature to. If we are shaken by uncertainty, God is the one that can assure us of certainty.

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Reassurance comes as we doubt our doubts and believe our beliefs.

Truth.

John 16:13

"But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the 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."

In faith, I know this to be true:

The Spirit of truth works within me, and he guides me deeper in God’s truth. The Spirit of truth guides me to find truth wherever it can be found, because all truth is God’s truth (John 16:13).

The Spirit of truth has no agenda except to speak the truth, and he guides me into what is yet to come (John 16:13).

The Spirit of truth encourages me to take each step of faith. I know this to be true and will live accordingly. I believe, Lord; help my unbelief. The Spirit of truth guides me to the places where I will face my fears, and, as I face them in God’s strength, they wither away like vines overwhelmed by the brightness of the sun.

The Spirit of truth will lead me through a wilderness meant “to uproot and tear down, to destroy and overthrow, to build and to plant” within my life (Jeremiah 1:10 NIV).

And I will fear man no more, because I trust the Lord will keep me safe and keep me true to the truth (Proverbs 29:25).

Who's Behind It?

1 Chronicles 17:16-24
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Have you ever experienced something so good, you feel proud? Like a perfect mark on test or exam, or even your parents telling you how proud they are of you? How about the moment you win an award or receive a scholarship? Sometimes, it's so easy to feel proud of ourselves when good things happen to us. 


"Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my family, that you have brought me this far?" [1 Chronicles 17:16b]


When King David realized his overflowing of blessings, he did not swell up in pride, but he thanked the Lord as all good things comes from the Lord. We're tempted everyday to believe it's our own abilities, our own work and our own effort that allowed us to achieve this. When we are blessed, let us remember that God is the only one who brings blessings, not ourselves.

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The hand of the Father is behind all good things.

Freedom.

John 8:36

“So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.”

The world defines freedom as a life without any restraint: "I can do anything I want to do and say anything I want to say without anybody telling me what to do." Everybody else may get burned by you, but you get to do it your own way. The world says you can have your freedom, but only by being totally selfish.

Yet, the Bible says the only way to true freedom is through Jesus: “If the Son sets you free, then you will be really free” (John 8:36 TEV).

Real freedom is freedom from fear, where you’re truly free from guilt, worry, bitterness, and death. You’re free to quit pretending because you’re free to be yourself.

How do you get rid of those kinds of fears? By letting God love you! The apostle John teaches that, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear ...” (1 John 4:18a NIV).

When you realize how much God loves you, you’ll begin to live in true freedom. In fact, you worship God when you recognize that “God is love.” It is an act of worship to agree that he is a loving, caring, generous God and that we can “rely on the love God has for us” (1 John 4:16a NIV).