FULLY COMMITTED TO HIM

Good morning people. How are you doing? I trust that all is well.

 

As I strolled through my timeline seeking posts/photos to like and share, I imagined God looking through the earth seeking for those to strengthen. You don't believe God does that? Let's check out 2 Chronicles 16:9

 

"For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to Him."

 

My question for you today ~ Will you FULLY commit your heart to Him today? Will you trust that He has your best interests at heart? If yes, you are the one He's seeking for strengthening. Be encouraged; this has also come TO PASS! It will still end in praise.

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

THE SLAVE GIRL’S VOICE

Good day people.

Today, I’m thinking of a little girl that found herself as a slave girl in a foreign land. Let’s try to walk in her shoes a bit, can we?

Now bands from Aram had gone out and had taken captive a young girl from Israel, and she served Naaman’s wife. (2 Kings 5:2).

We know that she didn’t happily beg the bands to take her as a captive, right? She was obviously taken against her will…that’s what “captive” means, lol.

So, this young girl was in Naaman’s house AGAINST HER WILL…She’ll probably have preferred going to school or helping her mother out or something similar. There is even the possibility that the raiding band had killed her parents and/or some relatives. She was obviously in an undesirable situation.

She had to make a decision, though. She could decide to sit “by the rivers of Babylon”, weeping. Or she could make the best of a “terrible” situation. Thankfully, she chose the latter. She looked away from her “terrible” situation long enough to notice that Naaman (possibly the leader of the band that captured her) was dealing with leprosy.

Also, she was bold and kind enough to suggest to Naaman’s wife that he could find a solution to HIS challenge in her native town. She didn’t even try to talk about how to be set free; I wonder why?

By God’s grace, I’ll still get to write about the office of the prophet as the story of Naaman is one that strongly highlights the importance of the prophetic office, which some have brought to disrepute. My pastor will always say that the presence of a fake is an indication that there is an original. God is the one that gave some to be prophets (as well as the other ministry gifts) to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13) The prophetic office is not inherently evil.

 

Back to our little slave girl, in spite of her own pain, she found a need and met it. They may have taken away her physical freedom but she still had her voice. Today, her voice still rings out today. Now, I’m adding her name to the list of those that I want to learn more about and possibly ask God how her story ended…Will you give Him the fragments of your broken heart, step out, lend Him your voice and make a difference today?

 

Have a blessed and productive day.

LESSONS FROM HAGAR

"And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and took bread, and a bottle of water, and gave it unto Hagar, putting it on her shoulder, and the child, and sent her away: and she departed, and wandered in the wilderness of Beer-sheba. And the water was spent in the bottle, and she cast the child under one of the shrubs. And she went, and sat her down over against him a good way off, as it were a bowshot: for she said, Let me not see the death of the child. And she sat over against him, and lift up her voice, and wept. And God heard the voice of the lad; and the angel of God called Hagar out of heaven, and said unto her, What aileth thee, Hagar? fear not; for God hath heard the voice of the lad where he is. Arise, lift up the lad, and hold him in thine hand; for I will make him a great nation. And God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water; and she went, and filled the bottle with water, and gave the lad drink. And God was with the lad; and he grew, and dwelt in the wilderness, and became an archer." (Genesis 21:14-20).

Hagar was stuck! The supply (settlement) she got from Abraham when she was sent away with the 'child of the bondwoman' was exhausted. Some have claimed that Hagar was a strange woman that deserved all that she got. Some have even speculated that she planted the idea of the silly arrangement in Sarah's head as she apparently had a lot to gain from it. Some feel she was a victim in the entire arrangement. Strange woman? Victim? Only God and Hagar truly know.
Anyway, there came a point in Hagar's life when human calculations and supplies were exhausted! She had nowhere to turn to.
One thing that blows my [religious] mind is that there is no record of Hagar praying in this instance. We know, however, that she wept aloud. We also know that God heard Ishmael CRYING (not praying), uhm!
A lesson for me is that we can't box God in a corner. Please note that this does not mean that prayer is unimportant, though.
Back to Hagar; God heard Ishmael crying and an angel called Hagar. The question he asked her was kind of funny to me. What aileth thee? Excuse me, what kind of question is that? Do you need an answer for that? Thank God he didn't wait for an answer.
'Fear not'...really? A woman with a teenager and no means of livelihood should not fear? Are you kidding me? This lady just lost her job because the boss' wife was uncomfortable with having the boss' 'illegitimate' child around and you're talking about her not being afraid? She had no means of livelihood...they had been thrown into the streets and the 'severance pay' was now exhausted. Also, there was no guarantee that she would get another job considering how the last one ended, lol.
God opened Hagar's eyes and she saw the well. I'm wondering if the well was there and Hagar didn't see it before God opened her eyes. Or did God just create the well after opening her eyes? However way, God came through for them. Somehow, God saw them through and the lad grew.
If you're like me, you'll be interested in the details. How did Hagar manage to raise the lad? Did she ever get married? What kind of mother was she?
Unlike in the movies where a handsome prince comes along to marry the lady in distress and take away her reproach, all we're told is that God was with the lad and he grew.
Moral of my story - whenever you're stuck, LOOK UP! He always has a way out, somehow...
Have a wonderful week ahead

The Paths of Life

Good morning people. 
I remember my dad's civil war deliverance story. I believe someone needs to hear this. 
According to him, he was in a Catholic secondary school then. When the school authorities learnt of the plan to kill the southern students, they made arrangements to relocate them to a 'safe' place. 
Apparently, there wasn't enough room for all the students so my dad and a few others were taken elsewhere. It turned out that the 'safe' place wasn't so safe afterall. All the students taken there were killed that night. My dad escaped death by the whiskers. I'm wondering if my siblings and I would have still been born if the desire of the wicked was accomplished that night...Uhmmm
Anyway, the take-away for me is that the seemingly unimportant details may eventually mark the difference between life and death. Considering the limit of our vision and knowledge as individuals, it is unwise to look to our physical senses for direction in the affairs of this life. It is absolutely crucial not to trust in our senses alone to make decisions; that is a sure recipe for disaster.

As I hurried past a horrid hole in a public place this morning, the Holy Spirit told me that someone who is unfamiliar with that area could easily fall into the hole. That's also true for someone who goes into a new venture relying only on his/her past experience. This year (and beyond), I'll implore us to let the Holy Spirit guide us all the way. And please, be a good passenger, instead of fighting Him all the way. I'll leave you with Psalm 16:11
Psalm 16:11
New Living Translation
You will show me the way of life, granting me the joy of your presence and the pleasures of living with you forever.

Trust Him; He knows the way of life. He knows where the holes are and how to deal with them.
Have a blessed and productive day.