How Do We End?

Exodus 32:30-35 (NKJV):

³⁰Now it came to pass on the next day that Moses said to the people, “You have committed a great sin. So now I will go up to the Lord; perhaps I can make atonement for your sin.”

³¹Then Moses returned to the Lord and said, “Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!

³²Yet now, if You will forgive their sin—but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written.”

³³And the Lord said to Moses, “Whoever has sinned against Me, I will blot him out of My book.

³⁴Now therefore, go, lead the people to the place of which I have spoken to you. Behold, My Angel shall go before you. Nevertheless, in the day when I visit for punishment, I will visit punishment upon them for their sin.”

³⁵So the Lord plagued the people because of what they did with the calf which Aaron made.

We all know the story of the Golden Calf that Aaron (Moses` brother) and the Israelites made when Moses was on the mountain receiving the commandments from the Lord (this same chapter Exodus 32 gives us a full account of the story). I believe there are few crucial points that get omitted or lost from this scripture when this account is mentioned or referenced, so I`d like to go into some details here.

Before we would look at the two important leaders of the Old Testament: Moses and Aaron, we need to realize the following facts:

1. God has a Book of Remembrance, which is mentioned in the numerous scriptures; it testifies of all our actions. In the end, during God`s judgment it is said that He would open His books and will look at those records (examples are listed in Malachi 3:16, Psalm 69:28, Exodus 32:33, Revelation 20:11-15). The ultimate judgment would be pronounced on those who are not written in the Book of Life (this is the book that God writes out about each name that gets saved; this is the only way to Heaven through accepting Jesus as our Lord and Savior).

¹¹Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them. ¹² And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God,^[c] and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books. ¹³ The sea gave up the dead who were in it, and Death and Hades delivered up the dead who were in them. And they were judged, each one according to his works. ¹⁴ Then Death and Hades were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.^{[d] 15} And anyone not found written in the Book of Life was cast into the lake of fire (Revelation 20:11-15 NKJV).

God writes out everything. Moreover, those who disobey His word have consequences; those who reject His truth, they have consequences; those who reject Jesus, they get the ultimate consequence of not being written out in the Book of Life. That`s why it`s important to preserve our lives and live them for the Lord. It is an abomination in the sight of the Lord when one claims to be saved, yet lives for one`s own flesh. The temporary lusts and indulgencies would only lead that person to be blotted out of His book just like the Israelites were along with their ringleader Aaron. Yes, it is clearly stated here that all those people were blotted out of the God`s book, and Aaron was among those people.

Jesus also mentioned the warning in Matthew 7:21-23 (NKJV):

²¹“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. ²²Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ ²³ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

We should not mix the two facts together when looking at these scriptures assuming that we can get to Heaven through our works. That`s not the message here. The message here is if one surrenders life to the Lord and gets saved through believing that Jesus died and rose again from the dead for our sins, that person gets saved. Once the person gets saved, the result of the lifestyle and the deeds the person commits should testify of the Heavenly Father. Salvation produces change in one`s heart, and when that doesn`t happen, the hypocrisy of one`s hearts is revealed. That means that the person never truly repented of one`s own sins. This is an important distinction to keep in mind because there are so many misrepresentations of the scripture.

We just looked at the passages from both Old and New Testaments that state the same idea: God tests our hearts and reveals those who are not true believers, and those who are not true believers they do not inherit the Kingdome of God. The same message Jesus mentioned here in the gospel of Matthew.

2. Another fact to note is that there is no unaccountable sin. God blotted out all those who worshipped the golden calf including Aaron, Moses` own brother who was the main priest for his lifetime. Sin always has consequences and to live in sin thinking that God doesn`t see is simply foolish.

¹⁴For God will bring every work into judgment, including every secret thing, Whether good or evil (Ecclesiastes 12:14 NKJV).

God sees everything, so to live in sin assuming that it would be covered up for you, it just wouldn`t work. God doesn`t change, and His standards are universal.

3. This brings us to another, I could say most important fact, and that is the worst sin one can commit—a sin of idolatry. So many of us commit idolatry by putting things and/or people above the Lord, and we should be reminded in this story that He brings judgment to that every single time; even if it doesn`t happen right away, it will come to pass ultimately.

³ “You shall have no other gods before Me (Exodus 20:3 NKJV).

¹⁴ Do not worship any other god, for the Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God (Exodus 34:14 NIV).

This verses not only refer to the tangible carved peace of material that one can worship, but it refers to anything that takes hold of one`s heart placing God in the rears. Ultimately any interest that`s not founded in the Lord takes one into the path of idolatry.

4. So we see here that God required Moses to cut the sin out even if it meant sacrificing one`s family. His word was not contradicted by what Jesus said in the New Testament, so we have no excuse reading this story thinking that God`s critical measures were only necessary in that particular situation:

²⁵Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), ²⁶then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him. ²⁷ And he said to them, “Thus says the Lord God of Israel: ‘Let every man put his sword on his side, and go in and out from entrance to entrance throughout the camp, and let every man kill his brother, every man his companion, and every man his neighbor.’” ²⁸ So the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses. And about three thousand men of the people fell that day. ²⁹ Then Moses said, “Consecrate yourselves today to the Lord, that He may bestow on you a blessing this day, for every man has opposed his son and his brother”(Exodus 32:25-29 NKJV).

God allowed family to be split and killed to preserve His name Holy because God doesn`t tolerate idolatry in any shape or form. Jesus said in the New Testament that He came to bring a sword:

³⁴ “Do not think that I came to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword. ³⁵ For I have come to ‘set a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law’;³⁶ and ‘a man’s enemies will be those of his own household.’^{[e] 37} He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.³⁸ And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. ³⁹ He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it (Matthew 10:34-39 NKJV).

Jesus didn`t mean that we have to go out and proclaim the Crusades forcing people to accept Him or die as churches committed through the middle age history. That`s not the idea here. The idea here is the essence of one`s heart that God discerns and knows. He tests the hearts of the people to see if they would follow Him and obey His word. Idolatry always brings harsh consequences because we just read that God is a Jealous God. Remember that right after Israelites crossed the Red sea God tested them in the desert. Right after they experienced so many miracles and saw God in His might, their hearts were tested to reveal the substance of them:

²And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not (Deuteronomy 8:2 NKJV).

It`s important to watch how do we start, live, and finish our lives. Aaron ended up being blotted out of God`s Book along with all those who created a golden calf and worshiped it while Moses was buried by the archangel Michael himself (Jude 1:9). What a tremendous difference and a warning to us as to how we live.

5. Furthermore, God holds accountable especially leaders because they have the ability and power to either lead people out of sin or to lead people into sin. Aaron clearly led people into sin of idolatry while Moses directed Israelites` focus back on the Lord.

We read in the verses 25-26:

²⁵Now when Moses saw that the people were unrestrained (for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies), ²⁶then Moses stood in the entrance of the camp, and said, “Whoever is on the Lord’s side—come to me!” And all the sons of Levi gathered themselves together to him.

To me this is a bitter chapter to read realizing how many times did I have the opportunity to take a stand for God`s word, yet I chose to compromise to appease people. I chose to appease my husband and live in sin, rather than stand for God`s word and obey it. It brought destruction and war into my life, and my household was split in two.

This is a harsh warning and a reminder from the Lord that there are consequences for disobedience. We always have that choice whether to obey or to disobey God`s word.

Aaron was a priest who should have been walking with the Lord; he had that privilege being in the presence of God, yet his heart wasn`t filled with His word. The verse 25 says that Aaron did not restrain the people. Being that leader and a priest while Moses was away, he was responsible to assure Israelites maintained the standard of being godly people. The reputation of the Lord was at stake because as we read further in the verse 25 that “for Aaron had not restrained them, to their shame among their enemies”. Enemies who heard about God`s power and might; it is the same God about whom they heard producing all the 10 plagues on Egyptians and killing them. These same enemies heard that Israelites compromised their trust in the Lord. It brought God`s name to shame; it compromised His reputation among the surrounding nations.

One of the reasons why Jesus stated of His coming with the “sword” was because He knew that people with compromising hearts will mock God. Our lives should be unyielding to the world. Our priority should be standing for God`s standards to preserve His reputation and His name.

We look at these two strong leaders: Aaron and Moses and we see how each one of them ended. Aaron was blotted out from God`s book of remembrance while Moses preserved God`s reputation and was acknowledged by the Lord being His friend throughout the Bible.

I want to reap that reward of being called a friend of God rather than being among those talked about as being blotted out of His book. God writes out in His book of remembrance everything we do to give out rewards according to each one`s work (gold, silver precious stones, wood, hay, and straw).

¹¹For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ. ¹² Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw, ¹³ each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is (1 Corinthians 3:11-13 NKJV).

Our main foundation is in Jesus, and we should be building our lives only on this foundation. All our works should be a result of our walk with the Lord. I want my works to reflect God`s character, so they could withstand the fire like gold does. Fire (meaning sufferings and trials) reveal what each one works are made of. Aaron and Israelites didn`t pass that test, but Moses, Levites, and those who stood up with them, they did. God rewarded them for their obedience to His word.
So the question still stands for each one of us: how do we end? Do we end building to deserve gold, precious stones, or hay, straw, and to be blotted out of His book? Do we live our lives mocking the Lord and putting Him to shame among His enemies, or do we take a stand for His standards? Let us build only on gold and aim for the high rewards in the Lord, so His name could be glorified among our loved ones, friends, and even enemies. 

God`s Word For The Wicked

Ezekiel 33:11 (NKJV):

¹¹ Say to them: ‘As I live,’ says the Lord God, ‘I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?’

2 Peter 3:9 (NKJV):

⁹ The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us,^[b] not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.

I know that reading the title many might think that there would be some harsh word of cursing or threat, but instead we see God`s heart towards humanity—His eternal love that He overflowed from the very beginning. He already knew even before He created Adam and Eve that we- humans, would fail Him, and we would need the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ, yet He gave us a chance anyway (Revelation 13:8).

First of all, it`s important to note that God`s message is consistent both in the Old and in the New Testaments, and His word, as always, never contradict itself. The message that we see from the beginning of the world`s creation when God promised Noah never to destroy humanity and gave a sign of Rainbow as an assurance to all of us that He would never destroy us until the day of His judgment comes (Genesis 9:13-15).

God is never late. I just finished 21 days of fasting, and I haven`t gotten a breakthrough yet, so I started analyzing if praying for my family is what God really wants me to do; whether praying for my husband really should be that much of my time each day, and God showed me these scriptures today. These are truly remarkable verses because they outline the extent of God`s willingness to do what it takes to get even one more person saved. These words just gripped me because there is nothing better than getting direction from the Lord of what to pray for and how to pray for it. I prayed for direction, and He was faithful as always to guide me. Thank you, LORD!

We always start with the basics: knowing God`s will for particular situation (using scripture to confirm it), then praying on it until we see it come to pass. I had to analyze whether it is truly God`s will to get back together with my husband, and He showed me the sermons by Greg Laurie titled “Hope For The Hurting Marriages” where he outlined the concept of the marriage as a vivid example of God`s relationship with the church. Marriage is a prototype of how God loves and cares for His church (His bride as it described in the New Testament). When you break apart a marriage especially being a Christian, you become a lousy testimony of God`s attitude for His church. This concept is nothing new, but I looked at it from the different perspective when listening to these short series by Greg Laurie. God once again directed me on how to continue praying for reconciliation of my marriage on His foundation is His will.

By the way, here is the link to the message by Greg Laurie titled “Hope for the Hurting Marriages” (those are few short series):

http://www.harvest.org/radio/listen/2013-01-21.html

http://www.harvest.org/radio/listen/2013-01-22.html

http://www.harvest.org/radio/listen/2013-01-23.html

http://www.harvest.org/radio/listen/2013-01-24.html

God told Ezekiel to tell people that God`s heart is not to destroy them, but to save them. Can you truly grip this depth of God`s love towards us that while seeing His people live in a blunt idolatry, He continued to speak to them through the prophets and ask to turn from their wicked ways. His message is the same today: He delights to see even if one turns from one`s wicked sinful ways.

I don`t want to be a hindrance for Him to accomplish that with my family, with my unsaved relatives. That`s why He reminded me that it is His will to pray for those who are lost; it is His will to pray for the “wicked” and do what it takes to save them. Peter writes that God is longsuffering toward us because He is not willing that we may perish. This is God`s heart. If you don`t know God`s character, I urge you to read the scripture, and one of the main concepts that you will realize is that God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten son, so that those who believe would not perish, but they would have an everlasting life (John 3:16)!

Look at what He told Jeremiah when sending him to warn people of the upcoming judgment:

⁵Then the word of the Lord came to me, saying: ⁶ “O house of Israel, can I not do with you as this potter?” says the Lord. “Look, as the clay is in the potter’s hand, so are you in My hand, O house of Israel! ⁷ The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, ⁸ if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. ⁹ And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, ¹⁰ if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it. ¹¹ “Now therefore, speak to the men of Judah and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord: “Behold, I am fashioning a disaster and devising a plan against you. Return now everyone from his evil way, and make your ways and your doings good.” (Jeremiah 18:5-11 NKJV)

First of all, here is the concept of us being a clay in God`s hands, and Him being a Potter. He can make masterpiece out of the recycled clay. I worked in the clay studio when going to school, and I hated mixing recycled clay into the batches because the water was yucky dirty and the feeling of that submerged clay under water felt like there would be something nasty grabbing my hands. I just hated it. But then I would see students coming and buying recycled clay all the more because it was cheaper, and they would make these gorgeous structures out of it. I would also get to see how mercilessly they would demolish the piece and start from scratch when the base was corrupted.

This is the concept that God uses here in Jeremiah: He is the Potter and we are clay in His hands. He cannot elevate a masterpiece out of the corrupt base (base without the knowledge and obedience to His word), and this is why He allows demolition and destruction to “recycle” His clay (to give us another chance to rebuild our lives on the right foundation of His word). He states that when people repent and turn from their wicked ways, He is faithful to cancel the destruction, but when people refuse to hearken, He brings judgment.

Right now we live during the period of His grace when He allows all the time possible to get as many people saved as He can. Once this period of time is fulfilled, He will close that door and bring out His judgment on those who refused to listen and obey His word.

His will for today, for those who live a wicked life of disobedience and idolatry, is to get them saved. God`s heart is for the people and always will be. That`s why if you think that your situation is impossible for the marriage or for some close people who are not saved and you are not sure if you should continue praying for them; the answer  is YES. God`s will is for us to pray for those who are unsaved or backsliders, so they would TURN their ways and come to the Lord once and for all.

I am certainly in situation where I have been with my husband together for almost 10 years now, and I am yet to see the results of my prayers. I have to admit that I would have seen the breakthrough earlier if I was obedient to God`s word from the start and prayed for him, for our family, but I didn`t. I wasted many years living in indulgence instead of sticking by God`s word. This is why those lost years caught up with me now.

I live in the area where we haven`t gotten much snow this year, but today I woke up and I saw pure fresh snow piling on the top of the streets. God reminded me of the scripture in Job 38:22-23 (NKJV):

²² “Have you entered the treasury of snow, Or have you seen the treasury of hail,²³ Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of battle and war?

This is a great consolation for me to know that He loves me so much that He showed me how much God continues to fight for me and for my family. The snow is only a tangible evidence of His constant presence in my life. Every time I feel hopeless, He upholds me and directs my path to His word of encouragement. Today it`s the snow that made me realize how much He fights for me. The good news is He already won, and it`s only a matter of time before I see it coming to pass.

That`s why I want to encourage you today that if you pray for your marriage, or for salvation of your loved ones, please don`t give up. Press on; keep praying to see the results. When we are hopeless, God is hopeful; when we are faithless, God remains faithful for He cannot deny Himself; when we stumble, He upholds us; when we fall, He brings us back. Our God is almighty and longsuffering Lord who does not wish for anyone to perish, but to have an everlasting life. This is worth fighting for, so let us not loose heart!

⁹ And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart (Galatians 6:9 NKJV).

 

The Legacy of Isaac

Genesis 17:19 (NIV):

¹⁹Then God said, “Yes, but your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac.^[d] I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.
 

Isaac`s name means laughter (Genesis 18:12), and some people may laugh at his obedience to his father Abraham and to the Lord, but his life was an example of the righteous walk with God that his father Abraham imprinted on him during upbringing.
 

Isaac continued the legacy that his father Abraham turned over to him: walking by faith and not by sight and staying obedient to the Lord until the day he died.

 
Could we say today that this is how we live and turn over our lives to our children? Do we leave a legacy that glorifies God and serves as a vivid example to our children as to how they should live, or do we waste our lives leaving a legacy of nothing but destruction of ourselves and those around us?

Isaac was a young man (term “lad” is used in Genesis 22:6) when Abraham took him to the mount Moriah as a sacrifice to God, yet Isaac stayed obedient to his father and to the Lord. Abraham was a living example before his eyes of a close walk with God.

Some bible commentators confirm that Isaac must have been at a youth age at least since he was given the task of carrying the wood for the burning offering:

⁶Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, (Genesis 22:6 NIV)

There must have been enough wood to provide fire for a human being, so no child could have carried such a heavy load when we think about the potential age of Isaac at the time of Abraham`s test in Genesis 22.

What`s more, Isaac had to be at the age being able to reason and ask questions about the location of the potential sacrifice because we read in Genesis 22:7-8 (NIV):

⁷Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” ⁸Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

How many of us today, if a parent asked us to follow him/her to the mountain with the heap of piling wood for the fire, would obey one`s parent and have faith, like Isaac did, that God will provide the lamb for the burnt offering? This is amazing to see how much Isaac was brought up in the ways of the Lord, that he had that vivid example of his own father obeying God day in and day out.

Are you being that parent that God calls you to be? Do you walk that faithful walk by faith and not by sight as a constant example to your child of how we should know the Lord personally? This is always in my heart especially recently when I had to battle with my daughter and teach her how to pray. For a while she refused to pray with me and didn`t want to even hear anything about God. I continued to pray for her, and I finally got the results I wanted. She now prays with me and repeats the prayers as a way to learn how to talk to God.

I believe that the test in Genesis 22 was not solely for Abraham to sacrifice his only son but also for Isaac; to see if he would trust the Lord the way his father Abraham did. I believe that Isaac was at the age when he could make a conscious decision whether to serve the Lord, follow the Lord, or whether to be angry with Him and with his father for trying to bring him as a sacrifice. We see that he chose to obey his father and God without hearing us one word of him refusing to budge on this.

Isaac`s life was unhidden from God and was obedient. We read that in Genesis 25:11 (NIV):

¹¹After Abraham’s death, God blessed his son Isaac, who then lived near Beer Lahai Roi.
This place we all know from the story of Hagar and the way she was sent away by Sarah (Abraham`s wife when she got pregnant with Ishmael) and from the article that I wrote called Jehovah El-Roi: God Who sees (Genesis 16:7-16). Isaac chose to live in the place where God could see everything as a statement to those around him that he`s got nothing to hide; his walk with the Lord is genuine and true. This is why we read on the same verse that God blessed Isaac, and he lived by the place called Beer Lahai Roi.

Could you say the same thing about yourself today? Do you live a clean, genuine life of a close walk with the Lord, in front of God who sees everything; that you have nothing to be ashamed of? Isaac had nothing to be ashamed of because his life was by faith in almighty God, and not by sight.

We further read that there was famine in the land, but God commanded Isaac not to go to Egypt, but to stay in the land where He would provide for him. Did Isaac obey the Lord? Yes, he did. In Genesis 26:1-6 (NKJV):

There was a famine in the land, besides the first famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, in Gerar. ² Then the Lord appeared to him and said: “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I shall tell you. ³ Dwell in this land, and I will be with you and bless you; for to you and your descendants I give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. ⁴ And I will make your descendants multiply as the stars of heaven; I will give to your descendants all these lands; and in your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed; ⁵ because Abraham obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws.” ⁶ So Isaac dwelt in Gerar.

Isaac did the following 3 things:

1. He dwelt in the land that God promised to his father Abraham.

2. He stayed obedient to the Lord and didn`t go down to Egypt; the temporary escape from famine.

3. He chose to believe the Lord who promised him to be with him and to bless him; Isaac chose to live by faith and not by sight.

Abraham truly made sure to instill in his son`s heart the essence of faith, so much so, that when Isaac had a choice to go to Egypt during the period of the famine, he chose to obey the Lord and stayed where he was. As a result, God blessed him with abundant crop despite the famine at the time.

¹²Isaac planted crops in that land and the same year reaped a hundredfold, because the Lord blessed him. ¹³ The man became rich, and his wealth continued to grow until he became very wealthy (Genesis 26:12-13 NKJV).

Isaac wasn`t rich from the start, although he was the sole Herr of Abraham who was very wealthy, but rather we read that God blessed Isaac for his hard work and obedience to the Lord. God prospered him in the land where Isaac remained as a result of Isaac`s compliance.

This brings us to the important point:

Sometimes we have to work harder in order to follow the Lord, but God always blesses those who do that. Isaac had the opportunity to go to Egypt and to gain a fast loot through the convenience of water proximity to where he could have grown his crops, but he chose to obey the Lord and trust that God would see him through the famine in the land he was promised.

Isaac chose to work harder and dig deeper for water at the wells that got covered rather than go to Egypt.

¹⁸Isaac reopened the wells that had been dug in the time of his father Abraham, which the Philistines had stopped up after Abraham died, and he gave them the same names his father had given them. ¹⁹ Isaac’s servants dug in the valley and discovered a well of fresh water there (Genesis 26:18-19 NKJV).
As a result, of his submission to the Lord, the water they uncovered was “fresh water”. He made God his hope, his refuge, his reliance. When we make God our sole source of confidence, He promises in return to provide that “fresh, living water” that makes us thirst no more. Remember what Jesus said at the well when speaking to the Samaritan woman in John 4:13-14 (NIV):

¹³ Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, ¹⁴ but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”

Isaac chose to follow God, trust His promise for his descendants, and work harder if necessary only, so he could live a pleasing life to the Lord. How about you? Do you live a compromising life that when “famine” in your life happens and you are in a crunch for money, you rely on your own solutions even if you have to go to “Egypt” (the world), rather than trusting the Lord would provide for you if only you remain in the “land” (abiding in the Lord; in your walk with the Lord)? Are you choosing to work harder and live with less, but follow God, or do you choose to compromise with sin only to get what you want?

Isaac didn`t compromise with sin; I chose not to compromise with sin. I chose to work harder, have less, but follow the Lord rather than go back to “Egypt” since I`ve made that mistake in the past and steeply paid for it. God gave me another chance to make my paths straight, and I took that opportunity, despite the price I`m paying. Every month my bills and debt amount to well above of what I can cover with my salary, yet God provides every month for me a way to pay all my bills on time. God blesses me every day of my life for walking by faith and not by sight.

Looking at the life of Isaac, we can see a legacy that could be traced all the way back to his father Abraham, and the impact that he left on his knowledge of God. As a mother, it bothers me a great deal that my daughter is not being raised in a Godly healthy family. All she`s got is my example of walk with God. I got one shot to teach her the ways of the Lord, and I want to leave a trace, like Abraham did with Isaac, so that when real life hits her, she knows who God is.

Isaac represents an image of Jesus in the Old Testament who was obedient to his father Abraham going to the mountain to die for the Lord. The same way Jesus was obedient to His Father going to the cross, and the death on the cross for you and me. He was a grown man, like Isaac, who had a choice to refuse the will of the Father, yet Isaac, like Jesus, was obedient to Abraham and to the Lord.

Isaac chose to live in the place called Beer Lahai Roi as an example of his pure walk with the Lord that he had nothing to hide from God. He knew that he served God who sees everything.

Later, Isaac chose to work harder to dig down for the water to uncover his family`s wells, only to stay complacent with the Lord and survive through the famine rather than go to Egypt. God compensated him with abundant blessings and became that Living Water for him spiritually, physically, and emotionally.

What`s more, God gave him peace with his neighbors. In Genesis 26:26-30 (NIV):

²⁶Then Abimelech came to him from Gerar with Ahuzzath, one of his friends, and Phichol the commander of his army. ²⁷ And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” ²⁸ But they said, “We have certainly seen that the Lord is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you, ²⁹ that you will do us no harm, since we have not touched you, and since we have done nothing to you but good and have sent you away in peace. You are now the blessed of the Lord.’” ³⁰ So he made them a feast, and they ate and drank. ³¹ Then they arose early in the morning and swore an oath with one another; and Isaac sent them away, and they departed from him in peace.

We read that right after Isaac received a wealthy harvest, the king of that place Abimelech asked him to leave the area because they were envious and afraid of Isaac (Genesis 26:16). This is why Isaac had to move out and dig out the wells of water to start from scratch.

Besides all other trials Isaac experienced, he was also persecuted by the local king. The response of Isaac to that was according to God`s standards: he chose to seek peace and move away to start from scratch place else. He obeyed the king`s order and removed his tents from the area, rather than going into war with him trying to win his territory back.

I can relate to that myself. When I had a choice to change the lock on my marital house (which is what was advised to me to do by my attorney) and kick my husband out only to retain the house, I chose not to do that because I knew that was an abomination in the sight of the Lord. Instead, I chose to start from scratch, so to remain in the will of God.

We always have that choice in life: whether to choose an easier way out or whether to suffer for the Lord and experience temporary inconveniences. God blessed Isaac, and He blessed me. What`s more, God brought peace to Isaac with that same king Abimelech who kicked him out of the area.

Proverbs 16:7 (NKJV):
⁷When a man’s ways please the Lord, He makes even his enemies to be at peace with him.

I claim this promise for my life too, but I am yet to see it coming to pass. I want to see all my enemies make peace with me. Isaac chose to live the godly life and walk in the footsteps of his father. As a result, God rewarded him abundantly for that; He revealed Himself to Isaac confirming all the promises He gave to Abraham.

How about us? Could you live in a place called Beer Lahai Roi knowing that God sees and knows everything? The truth is God is omnipotent and omniscient, so He does know and see everything. Could we look in His eyes and honestly say that we`ve lived our lives choosing to work harder, to dig deeper, and sow for the crop from scratch only not to compromise with the temptation of going to Egypt- this world that beckons us with its lusts and "easier, better" ways to live?

The truth is, we would experience spiritual famine if we would choose the world because Jesus said that only He provides the living water. Those who drink from His well would thirst no more. I`d rather choose to live with less and work harder, but have God as my shelter, rather than choose a compromising life in this world.

 
Think about the legacy you choose to leave for your children, for your siblings, for those around you. Do you want to be known as an uncompromising man or a woman of God who chose to live with less but inherit more in the eternal life, or do you choose to live with more only to squander it while here on earth, and then have nothing to claim for in front of the Lord? I choose to live my life for the Lord, so I could leave a legacy for my daughter as an example of walking by faith and not by sight. I want her to know who God is from an early age, so, like Isaac, she could have no doubts when the trials come her way, how to handle them and where to look for answers. I would encourage you to think about your life and all that you live for. Is it a legacy of destruction of all those around you: your family, your spouse, your children, your parents, or is it a life of blessing to them? 

 

A Mistake We So Often Make

Genesis 22:9-12 (NKJV):

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 he bound Isaac his son and laid him on the altar, upon the wood.

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

¹¹ But the Angel of the Lord called to him from heaven and said, “Abraham, Abraham!” So he said, “Here I am.”

¹² And He said, “Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for now I know that you fear God, since you have not withheld your son, your only son, from Me.”

I think many of us when coming to this chapter in the Bible and reading this scripture question God`s character as to why would He ask Abraham to sacrifice and kill his only son whom God Himself has promised to Abraham so many years prior it came to pass? This is a mistake we so often make when evaluating or researching God`s character assuming that He is something that He is not: an angry and demanding God who does things on a whim of the moment. Not true, my friend.

God only tests us in the areas where we lack dying to ourselves in order to live for Him. For some of us that represent money, some of us career, some of us our own child/children, some of us spouse, some of us parents, etc. In the end, it`s not the death of one that God seeks, but dying to ourselves in order to live for Him. Abraham waited for Isaac to be born for 25 years, since the day God promised him a son. Initially God spoke to Abraham and told him to leave his homeland when Abraham was 75 years old (Genesis 12:1-4), and we read that Abraham finally had Isaac when he was 100 years old (Genesis 17:17). I can see Abraham being obsessed with this boy being born to him by the woman he treasured for his lifetime, and God decided to test Abraham`s heart whether he would still be obedient to the Lord.

The one thing I came to know and to experience for myself is when God plans to bless us tremendously, He puts us through some fiery trials in order to assure that one`s heart is in the right place with Him. I know that, like Abraham, God has a plan to bless me, but before He can do that, He has to make sure I die to myself in the areas where I esteem something or someone above God.

This is what happened to Abraham as well. God had to test his heart to make sure Abraham died to himself, so he could live for the Lord, and by asking to bring Isaac into sacrifice, God used that as a metaphor for our hearts.

We all know that in verses 11-12 God intervened and stopped Abraham from killing Isaac because all God wanted to do is to test Abraham`s heart. Once God assured that Abraham was “dead” to live for himself, God could continue using him living for the Lord to fulfill that promise He gave to Abraham:

When Abram was ninety-nine years old, the Lord appeared to Abram and said to him, “I am Almighty God; walk before Me and be blameless. ² And I will make My covenant between Me and you, and will multiply you exceedingly.” ³ Then Abram fell on his face, and God talked with him, saying: ⁴ “As for Me, behold, My covenant is with you, and you shall be a father of many nations. ⁵ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham; for I have made you a father of many nations. ⁶ I will make you exceedingly fruitful; and I will make nations of you, and kings shall come from you. ⁷ And I will establish My covenant between Me and you and your descendants after you in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be God to you and your descendants after you. ⁸ Also I give to you and your descendants after you the land in which you are a stranger, all the land of Canaan, as an everlasting possession; and I will be their God.” (Genesis 17:1-8 NKJV)

As we can see, the promise of God carries a great impact for the subsequent generations and for the whole world. Each one of us living on this earth, are called inheritors in Abraham. The bigger the blessing, the tougher trials one has to encounter to assure that one`s heart can handle this level of responsibility and still keep the heart intact with God`s standards. This is why Bible is so clear about us not estranging the trials:

¹² Dear friends, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal that has come on you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. ¹³ But rejoice inasmuch as you participate in the sufferings of Christ, so that you may be overjoyed when his glory is revealed (1 Peter 4:12-13 NIV).

Peter told us as well not to be surprised or estranged of the fiery trials that we will (not may, but will as a guaranteed promise, encounter when walking with the Lord), for these trials will produce glory and joy in the end. It may not seem that way for you now if you go through some hardships, but this is a promise from the Lord that stands even if we don`t see it coming to pass yet. I know that my circumstances would produce glory and joy for the Lord, and that`s my biggest consolation.

I like the way Oswald Chambers related to this scripture about Abraham`s sacrifice of Isaac:

This event is a picture of the mistake we make in thinking that the ultimate God wants of us is the sacrifice of death. What God wants is the sacrifice through death which enables us to do what Jesus did, that is, sacrifice our lives. Not— “Lord, I am ready to go with You . . . to death” (Luke 22:33). But— “I am willing to be identified with Your death so that I may sacrifice my life to God.”

It is of no value to God to give Him your life for death. He wants you to be a “living sacrifice”— to let Him have all your strengths that have been saved and sanctified through Jesus (Romans 12:1). This is what is acceptable to God.

I have to agree with his evaluation that many assume that God requires or wants someone`s death, but that is not the case.

Here is what David wrote in Psalm 51:16-17 (NKJV):

¹⁶ For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. ¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, You will not despise.

God doesn`t delight in anyone`s death, and a burnt offering refers exactly to that point. In the Old Testament we have a list of animal sacrifices that had to be made in order to atone for sins, or thanksgiving sacrifice, or a feast sacrifice, etc. God`s heart is not in the spilling of the blood, although in the Old Testament that was a requirement to survive for the Lord, but God delights in the offering of one`s heart. Meaning: God wants us to die to our own desires and to seek living for Him.

I faced death 4 times in my life, and if God really wanted me dead, He wouldn`t have saved me every time. I had different circumstances in each of the 4 times that I faced death, and I gave up on that idea. I realized that it looks like God has a plan for my life, and He wants me alive for that, so I`ll live to fulfill what he has in store for me.

The same with this scripture when we read of Abraham bringing his own son for a sacrifice: it`s not that God wanted Isaac dead because God doesn`t contradict His word, and we all know that by now from the endless scriptures that I tried to show you in all my previous articles by using both the Old and New Testaments, but God wanted Abraham`s heart to be completely committed to the Lord and prepared for all the blessings He had in store for him. God didn`t want Abraham to become prideful when inheriting all the promises God gave him, so He tried Abraham`s faith to assure that his heart was in sync with God`s will.

The whole message of the Bible and of God is that we don`t perish but have an everlasting life, and so that life would be for His glory and not for ourselves.

First of all, He seeks that every heart gets saved through the blood of Jesus and believing that Jesus is the Son of God who came to this earth, died, and rose again as the only necessary sacrifice to atone for everyone`s sin.

Secondly, God seeks our hearts to die to our own desires, so we could live for Him. This is it, folks. God`s character is loving and carrying, but He does allow trials and tests in our lives to identify our priorities and to pinpoint where they disagree with God`s plans. Trials are a checkpoint for one`s heart to see it in relation to the Lord and to oneself.

If you questioned God about this scripture in your previous times when reading this passage in the Bible, I encourage you to look at this scripture from the God`s heart`s perspective: dying to yourself, so to live for Him. If you have any area in your life that you assert control over and claim ownership, expect God testing your heart there. He would do that only if you claim your life for the Lord. I had to lay my daughter on the altar because God knew how obsessed I was with her. He did promise me to return her to me in His own time, but I really had to battle with God on this one.

Remember, when God gives us knowledge, He makes us responsible for it. So if you read this passage today, and God speaks to your heart about a particular area in your life that needs dying to yourself, I encourage you to obey the Lord. He would bless you and use you for His glory. I can assure you that this is the most rewarding way to live one`s life. If you had a wrong perception of who God is when reading this scripture, please note the verses 11-12 where God stopped Abraham from killing his own son because He doesn`t delight in shedding of anyone`s blood, but He desires our hearts to be committed completely to Him. Sometimes that requires drastic methods on His part. If you misjudged God`s character before, hopefully, this will not be the case anymore.

Let us seek the Lord and ask Him to clarify scriptures that we don`t understand rather than choose making this mistake of misjudging His character. He would be more than willing to answer our questions and to direct our paths.

Knowing Who God Really Is

John 14:9-11 (NKJV):

⁹ Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you so long, and yet you have not known Me, Philip? He who has seen Me has seen the Father; so how can you say, ‘Show us the Father’?

¹⁰ Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father in Me? The words that I speak to you I do not speak on My own authority; but the Father who dwells in Me does the works.

¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves.

Matthew 16:15 NKJV:

¹⁵ He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

How many times did the Lord tell me: “Have I been with you so long, yet you have not known Me?” Holy Spirit truly emphasized these words to me through one of the devotionals that I read by Oswald Chambers today to remind me how long of a way have I come. I can see that all these trials and hardships they only bring me to one solid truth: Knowing Who God Really Is.

We are pretty good at making general statements that most of the Christians would say: “God is good, Praise God, God Loves me, I believe in God, etc.” What do these words really mean? Do they come out of your mouth because you know God personally, or do they come out because this is a habit that we`ve developed over the years to say these things to sound good in front of the others?

Phillip was one of Jesus` disciples, and He saw Jesus day in and day out for at least 3 years of Jesus’ ministry on this earth, yet Jesus made this statement to him: “Have I been with you so long, yet you have not known Me, Philip?” How said it is to see people living their lives playing church and never truly seeking God personally. For me, the past 10 years at least have been nothing but a quest to find out who God really is because I want to please Him with my life. You can`t find out about that without asking questions and searching through the scriptures.

Three things here to emphasize from the verses above that we read:

- We must have faith that Jesus is the Son of God

- We must know Jesus personally face to face

- We must have fruits of our walk with Jesus

First of all, we must believe that Jesus is the Son of our Heavenly Father. Without this primary initial point we cannot even go any further.

⁴ and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead (Romans 1:4 NKJV).

¹¹ and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father (Philippians 2:11 NKJV).

⁹that if you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. ¹⁰ For with the heart one believes unto righteousness, and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation (Romans 10:9-10 NKJV).

We must believe and confess Jesus to be our Lord and Savior; the only way to Heaven is through Him. We must believe in our heart and confess with the mouth that Jesus died and rose from the dead for our sins. He is the only sacrifice needed for atonement of our sins, and those who believe in Him, they will have inheritance with our Heavenly Father in Heaven.

The second important component is to know Jesus personally face to face.

¹⁵He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” ¹⁶ Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” ¹⁷Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven.(Matthew 16:15-17 NKJV)

Back in the days when Jesus was leading his 3 year ministry, this was a valid question that still stands today: “Who do you say that I am?” We are inclined to ask this question and rightly so, but it is only good to ask it if we truly desire and seek to know the answer. Every person on this earth lives in a quest to find meaning in life. What`s it all about? This meaning could only be found and satisfied in our Creator and Lord because He is the Author and Creator of every living thing.

In Jesus’ days, people questioned who He was since He healed the sick, delivered the possessed, and saved the sinners. Peter had a personal revelation of who Jesus was, and this is why despite Peter`s impulsive untried character, Jesus acknowledged Peter`s personal relationship with the Lord. Peter knew who Jesus really was: the Son of the living God through his personal relationship with the Lord. Jesus commanded Peter for knowing that through his personal relationship with the Father.

How many of us could come to the Lord and honestly tell Him that we know who He truly is because of what we`ve experienced through our personal relationships with Him? I couldn`t do that for a long time. It took me many years to fully understand the extent of His character: how much loving, long patient, and longsuffering He truly is. When I finally met Him face to face, it brought my relationships with Him to the next level. I live delighting in the Lord accepting and believing in Him for who He really is instead of making up my own perception of who I want Him to be. I think many of us fail in our walk with God because of this exact problem: when we try to make Him to be the way we want Him to be. It won’t happen, so don`t try that!

I don`t want to hear this words addressed towards me that Jesus asked Phillip: Have I been with you so long, yet you have not known Me?” Ouch!

Thirdly, we must have fruits of our walk with Jesus. Please note, what Jesus said in the verse 11:

¹¹ Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father in Me, or else believe Me for the sake of the works themselves (John 14:11 NKJV).

If some of us can`t comprehend and realize that Jesus is the Lord who died and rose again for our sins, than we should believe Him according to all the things He`s done on this earth during His 3 year ministry. He healed, delivered, resurrected from the dead, and saved. This too, should be an example of our walk with the Lord. We must have fruits of the salvation, fruits of our relationships with the Lord, so people could believe in who Jesus truly is if not through believing in God, than through our example of being the light to this world.

“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser.² Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away;^[a]and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. ³ You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you.⁴ Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me (John 15:1-4 NKJV).

We are to bear much fruit to glorify the Father just as Jesus did Himself when walking this earth for 33 years of His human life. This is not a suggestion, but a command from Jesus Himself to bear much fruit as a direct correlation of our relationships with Him; us abiding in Him.

As we think about these three things: having faith that Jesus is the Son of God, knowing Jesus personally face to face, and producing fruits of our walk with the Lord, we should ponder on this question of Who God Really Is. I encourage you to search the scriptures and never be afraid to ask God questions. The true friendship and devotion is never afraid to seek direction and answers to be more fruitful.

I would like to conclude with the words from today`s Oswald Chambers’ message:

Once we get intimate with Jesus we are never lonely and we never lack for understanding or compassion. We can continually pour out our hearts to Him without being perceived as overly emotional or pitiful. The Christian who is truly intimate with Jesus will never draw attention to himself but will only show the evidence of a life where Jesus is completely in control. This is the outcome of allowing Jesus to satisfy every area of life to its depth. The picture resulting from such a life is that of the strong, calm balance that our Lord gives to those who are intimate with Him.