Matthew 5:9 Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
When you add knowledge of the ways of God to your life, then you understand how God expects you to live. Not only do you read the commands of Christ on how to live, but you can also study the life […]
Proverbs 20:18 Every purpose is established by counsel: and with good advice make war.
What steps do you go through before you purpose to do something? If you were to purchase a house, you probably would talk to many people about the neighborhood, the house itself, whether you could afford the house, and appraisers to see […]
Proverbs 19:14 House and riches are the inheritance of fathers: and a prudent wife is from the LORD.
Isaac inherited all the riches of his father Abraham. Isaac did not have to work to obtain that which his father had already earned. Abraham had other children whom he gave a small inheritance to, but to Isaac, […]
Proverbs 18:15 The heart of the prudent getteth knowledge; and the ear of the wise seeketh knowledge.
Will you obtain the knowledge of the ways of God? Have you established your path so that you might obtain a closer relationship with God?
Would Columbus ever discover America had he simply dreamed about it back home in Europe […]
Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart deviseth his way: but the LORD directeth his steps.
As you meditate upon the desires of your heart you come up with certain plans and ambitions for your life. While these plans do not always result in the perfect plan for your life, you must understand that if your heart is […]
Proverbs 14:8 The wisdom of the prudent is to understand his way: but the folly of fools is deceit.
Are you a wise man or are you a fool? Jesus told us that a wise man builds his house upon the rock while the fool builds his house upon the sand. The house in this illustration […]
Proverbs 12:5 The thoughts of the righteous are right: but the counsels of the wicked are deceit.
If all of a sudden other Christians could read your thoughts, what would they think? Would they see that your thoughts were pleasing to the Lord, or would they be shocked at the filthiness of your mind?
You understand that […]
Proverbs 2:1 My son, if thou wilt receive my words, and hide my commandments with thee;
You understand that as a Christian you are to add knowledge of the ways of God to your life. You also understand that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge. In this verse, we see the first […]
Acts 27:12 And because the haven was not commodious to winter in, the more part advised to depart thence also, if by any means they might attain to Phenice, and there to winter;
Paul was a prisoner being taken to Rome. Along the way, he advised Julius, the centurion who was in charge of him, that […]
Acts 23:16 And when Paul’s sister’s son heard of their lying in wait, he went and entered into the castle, and told Paul.
Forty men entered into a conspiracy that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul. However, what these men had plotted together in secret, God revealed in the open. God […]
Acts 10:19 While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him, Behold, three men seek thee.
God orchestrated this meeting between Peter and Cornelius. God desired that Cornelius and his household be filled with the Holy Ghost and be baptized with water. God started by working on the heart of Cornelius to send for […]
Acts 1:24 And they prayed, and said, Thou Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, show whether of these two thou hast chosen,
Jesus has ascended to heaven and the disciples have returned to Jerusalem to wait for the filling of the Holy Spirit as Jesus had promised them. While the disciples were waiting, they […]
Psalms 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.
God desires to hear your praises. However, you are not to simply praise HIM to yourself, but one of the reasons you praise God is so that others are encouraged by […]
Psalms 16:11 Thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.
Do you desire direction for your life? Do you long to be filled with joy? Do you yearn to enjoy life not only in heaven for eternity but also while you are here on this earth? If so, then the answer is found in God. God is the One who can show you the way you should go. God is the One who can fill your life with joy. God is the One who created both heavenly and earthly pleasures and it is from HIS hand that you can receive them.
If you try to find direction without first seeking God�s direction, than you will be no different the nation of Israel when they insisted in entering the promise land after God told them they were going to wonder for 40 years. There is no such thing as a small decision; you must be willing to be led of God. Rebekah made a seemingly small decision to give a man who asked her a drink of water a drink. Because she also volunteered to water his camels, Rebekah became the wife of Isaac.
Genesis 26:2 And the Lord appeared unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of:
While Isaac was sojourning in the land of Canaan, a famine arose in the land just as a famine had occurred during the life of Abraham. Isaac must have been contemplating doing as his father did by traveling to Egypt during the famine. However, God had different plans for Isaac, and God came and spoke to Isaac about staying in the Promised Land. Isaac heard the voice of God and he obeyed.
God told Isaac that if he stayed in the Promised Land that HE would be with Isaac and would bless him. God told Isaac that it was through his seed that he would give the Promise Land to. God gave Isaac the same promise he gave Abraham that his seed would multiply. God told Isaac the reason all these blessings were being bestowed upon him and his seed was because �Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my statutes, and my laws.�
Genesis 25:21 And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren: and the Lord was entreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
Isaac and Rebekah had a problem in that they could not have children. Evidently, whatever medical problem Abraham and Sarah had was passed down to their son Isaac. However, unlike his parents, Isaac did not attempt to have a child by the world�s means. Isaac knew the promises of God that through Isaac, God was going to make a great nation. Nonetheless, despite the promise of God, Isaac and Rebekah were barren.
When Abraham grew tired of waiting on God to give him the promised child, Abraham went into Hagar and conceived a child with her. However, the child Ishmael mocked Isaac and to this day, the children of Ishmael desire to destroy the seed of Isaac. While Abraham took matters into his own hands, Isaac did not, and instead, Isaac demonstrated his faith by going to God and interceding with God to give him a child so that God�s promise to Abraham might be fulfilled.
Genesis 24:12 And he said, O Lord God of my master Abraham, I pray thee, send me good speed this day, and shew kindness unto my master Abraham.
Abraham sent his eldest servant to go find a wife for his son Isaac. Being the eldest servant in the house of Abraham, he had seen the faith of Abraham rewarded many times. Now that this servant had to make a difficult decision, he cried out to the God of his master and set forth a test fully believing God to answer the test and to make his way clear. This servant had seen that God was real by observing his master, and he had no hesitation to cry out to God for direction.
Genesis 12:10 And there was a famine in the land: and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there; for the famine was grievous in the land.
Abraham may be the father of our faith, but he still made mistakes where he demonstrated his lack of faith. We have no indication from scripture that God told Abraham to sojourn in the land of Egypt during the famine. Whether or not Abraham demonstrated a lack of faith by leaving the promise land during a famine is not relevant in this devotional. What is relevant is the compromised situation that Abraham allowed himself to get into because he left Canaan to go to Egypt.
Abraham understood that he had a beautiful wife in Sarah. Because Abraham was in a strange land, he assumed that he would be killed so someone could marry Sarah. Because Abraham feared for his life, he came up with a plan whereby he had Sarah tell the truth, but that she tell the truth in such a way as to mislead the Egyptians.
God had told Abraham that his children would inherit the land of Canaan. Abraham understood this promise. However, just because Abraham understood the promise, it does not mean that he applied it to his life. Abraham had no children, thus, how could God fulfill HIS promise to Abraham if HE allowed Abraham to be killed in Egypt and Sarah being taken by an Egyptian ruler. God was going to have to protect Abraham in order to keep the promise that HE made with Abraham.
Nonetheless, Abraham demonstrated a lack of faith in God�s direction and protection for his life and as such, Abraham did that which was right in his own eyes. While in the end, everything resulted in good for Abraham in that he received great wealth from the Egyptians; the problem was that a seed of deceit was sown in his family that lasted for generations. Isaac and Rebekah lied to protect their lives, Jacob lied to receive a blessing, Jacob�s son�s lied about the death of Joseph.
Abraham had a promise from God that HE was going to be the father of a great nation. However, Abraham allowed his temporary safety to cloud out his faith in God and allowed him to sin and fall short of God�s perfect will. Just as God had guided Abraham to the land of Canaan, Abraham should have allowed God to guide his decision as to whether to go to Egypt to begin with, and once there, what to say so as to be in the center of God�s will so that God would protect him and Sarah.
There is no such thing as a small decision. Living by faith requires that you constantly be seeking the Lord for HIS daily direction. Just because your provision has dried up, it does not mean that it is time for you to be looking for greener pastures. It is your duty to listen closely to God�s purpose for your life and to determine where God desires you to go and what HE desires you to do.
You must make it a priority to spend quality time with God each day so that HE may direct your paths. Remember the promises that HE has given you that have not been fulfilled. When you understand what God�s will for your life is, do not be quick to depart from it just because things become difficult. Living by faith is not easy, but the rewards of being in the center of God�s will are amazing.
