The Sovereignty of God

“I will rejoice in doing them good, and I will plant them in this land in faithfulness, with all my heart and all my soul” (Jeremiah 32:41).

There are so many times when we do not realize the sovereign hand of God at work behind the scenes, caring for His people.  Are we left at the mercy of stalled cars on a railroad track, or of a car that breaks down and costs us our income, or even at the mercy of people who are intent on doing us wrong and harm?  No, a thousand times no!  We are in the hands of a sovereign God who controls every circumstance of our lives and who rejoices in doing us good.

Many would say that God is in the miraculous, and He is, especially in the scenes we find in the Word of God.  We see it with Moses and Elijah, the miracles of God.  But is God also in the details of our life, of those details we can’t see?  Is God in the events of our lives for our good?  In other words is God in a car wreck?  Or is God with those involved in a Tsunami?  Must we conclude that God always orchestrates the events of our lives to fulfill His purpose?  According to Romans 8:28, the answer is a solid yes.  That verse says, “We know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose“.  That is why we are commanded to “give thanks in all circumstances” (I Thessalonians 5:18).

How can we give thanks to God for all that happens to us, the circumstances of our lives, if He were not at work in them for our good?  No circumstance is outside of God’s sovereign will.  And no plan of God’s can be thwarted.  God does as He pleases, and only as He pleases, and no one can frustrate His plans or hinder His purposes!  Look at Psalm 115:3, Job 42:2, Isaiah 14:27, and Isaiah 43:13.

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  • Thankfully Yours

    “And the third day there was a marriage in Cana, of Galilee; and the mother of Jesus was there” (John 2:1).

    In the book of Exodus chapter seven you will find a story of judgment fallen against the nation of Egypt. There God caused all the waters to be turned into blood. It did not  matter if there was left-over water in a cup for it was turned into blood. Recognize that God owns the waters and the molecules that make up everything visible and invisible and He holds it all together.

    We do not know the couple’s name who was married but we do know that Jesus, God’s Son, turned the water into wine. Recognize this fact: When the resources of the world runs out and dries up God is there to show you His joy. He wants us to recognize Him. He is the giver of life and all good gifts.

    Our God would rather bless than judge. Invite Him to the wedding of life. God weds you and me to His life so that we may be thankful for His good gifts. If we forget and turn away from Him we invite His judgment and our souls become worried and fretful. The world doesn’t like it nor do they understand when we find Jesus to be our source of joy.

    Father help us to realize that You own all things and everything. May we fall down upon our faces with gratitude and thank You. Ingratitude is when we forget the gifts You give.  You give the water and all good things. Thank You for giving us the miracle of gratitude whereby we may thank You. Amen

  • Culture Wise

     
    “Let love be without hypocrisy. Abhor that which is evil; cling to that which is good (Romans 12:9).

    You and I know what it means to go from lost to found, from darkness to light, from the kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of God. Any person who has been saved knows the difference. We know what it means to go home and to be right at home.

    We have been rescued and redeemed and thank God we have a right-standing before a loving God. But why is it that so many are perplexed regarding how to stand firm in that place? While we stand around, the ground seems to be shifty, uncertain, and unsafe. We don’t seem to know how to be conduits of redemption in a world that desperately needs to be redeemed.

    What are we to do? Here is how to live rightly in a wrong world. First of all, we are to think scripturally. Know what you believe. Know why you believe what you believe. And defend that truth every day of your life.

    Also, we are to live purely. We have the Holy Spirit of God living inside of us, enabling us to practice a lifestyle that is pleasing to God. Don’t inch closer to the cultural fire. Why? You will get burned.

    Love generously. We overcome evil with good. We overcome darkness with light. And we overcome apathy in all its awful forms with generous helpings of love. Be known for your great love. As you love others, you show them the love of the Father. As you care deeply, you show them He cares.

  • You Can Not

    “This is the message we have heard from Him and declare to you, that God is light and in Him is no darkness at all” (I John 1:5).

    Mark Twain said these words, “You can’t pray a lie. I found that out.” Have we realized that God is looking for men and women who live a life that is pure and holy before Him? Do we not understand that the way the Lord communicates to us is a life that is filled with the aroma of Christ?

    Our salvation and prayer life is not dependent upon us. Our lives are not dependent upon our living it out. Our goals are not His nor are our ways. God began a new work in us when we were redeemed by the blood of Christ. He cleansed us and claimed us for His own. Now until we understand that we don’t know how to pray.
     
    Our fellowship with God and what we have in Him, and our lives being constantly cleansed, which is abiding in Him and our allowing the Spirit of God to work in us, how?–    through the Word of God, the church of God, the sufferings of life–all of which God will use to speak to us. This is how we pray. Not with a lie but with truth. Too many say they pray but their lives are no where ready to receive God’s prayer request.

  • Quietness

    “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength” (Isaiah 30:15).
    “In quietness and confidence shall be your strength.” Eight words. Two qualities. One result. This is how to decode life. When we are rattled we can become loud. When we become loud and rattled, we’re weak. No wonder the world is in the state of confusion as it is today. A heavy truck rattles, an unlatched gate beats against the gate post, but a silent river runs deep, and a quiet and confident person stands out like a giant tree among the pines.

    What is the tale behind the text? What did the prophet’s pen mean as he wrote? Isaiah saw an envoy of men headed down to Egypt to broker help. Israel was afraid of the impending invasion of different countries. Isaiah told the people in his sermon that God owned them and cared for them. He said to them to return back to their Creator, Redeemer and He would watch for them. Isaiah demonstrated, “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength.”

    The last phrase of the sentence is stunning–“but you would have none of it.” The people of Israel would not listen to the “seer”. They rejected God’s vision for safety and security, for they were hell-bent on their own agenda.

    God has spoken these words to our nation and to our souls. He promises quietness and rest if we would repent and return. To rest in Him is our hope, to trust in Him is our strength, and to turn back to Him is to find quietness for our souls. Quietness is horizontal; it’s our attitude toward circumstances and difficulty. Confidence is vertical; it’s our trust in God. When the horizontal and the vertical come together, it becomes our inward strength.

  • Courage

    “Now it came to pass after many days, that the word of the LORD came to Elijah in the third year, saying, “Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain on the face of the earth” (I Kings 18:1).

    A little lady by the name of Amy Carmichael spent her life for the gospel in India. Amy became aware of the terrible practice that was so common in the Hindu Temples. Little girls as young as six and seven would be sold by their parents into lives that prostituted their little bodies. Amy Carmichael was shaken to the core of her being. So she decided something must be done

    Through miraculous means, the first girl was brought to her in 1901. The little seven-year-old girl showed Amy her hands that had been branded with hot irons because she had tried to escape once before. By 1943, Amy was taking care of eight hundred children, and she was the hated woman by a powerful system of prostitution. God protected this woman who stood for Him and His Word.

    Oh, if men, God’s men, would rise up and have just a tenth of the courage of this woman then we can change our churches and our homes. Why? Because God would stand up for these mighty men as He stood for Stephen as Stephen stood for Him. It is going to take courage and holiness for this new era of American history. That is why some of you are going through trouble because God is getting you ready for leadership.

     

     

     

     

  • Near But So Far Away

    “Righteous art thou, O LORD…Thou hast planted them, yea, they have taken root; they grow, yea, they bring forth fruit; thou art near in their mouth, and far from their heart” (Jeremiah 12:1a,2).

    We are living in a day of cardboard Christians, pseudo saints, and plastic preachers. Far from being true in the innermost being to God there is falsehood and deceitfulness. Any nation that finds itself in this position is a nation in great decay and headed for destruction.

    Words will never move the hand of God to bless unless they are words backed from a righteous life found only in God. God desires truth, humility, honesty, and that is found only in Yawheh, the Covenant Making God.

    The prophet Jeremiah was planted in God and true to the core of his being. He was wheat among the poisonous tares of his day. He saw planted around and next to him those who had taken root in the land and who had filled the air with their words that were religious but unrighteous, in other words people far from God.

    Friend we are in conflict with the world. It will only get worse and the affliction is real. As long as the world becomes more religious and God’s people become compromised then we can be assured it is all shaping up for judgment. Yet you and I do not have to fall into despair. Jeremiah said, “But thou, O LORD, knowest me; thou hast seen me, and tested mine heart toward thee” (Jeremiah 12:3). God tests us that we may be proven. Character develops in Christ as we understand the times and we are aware of the devil’s tactics. We are on the winning side!