ALL ABOUT YOU!
ALL ABOUT YOU, GOD, JESUS, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT.
A lifelong journey for the committed Christian.
PART 1
GOD IS NOT THE PROBLEM.
Are your words now or have they ever been “stout” against God? If your answer is yes, don’t think you are the only one or the first one to have harsh feelings towards God. Malachi 3:13 is an account of such a time as this with God’s people when He said to them.
“Your words have been stout against me, saith the Lord. Yet ye say, What have we spoken so much against thee?”
The Bible is about God and man from Genesis to Revelation. Many things happened between the time man was created, and the time Jesus(Son of God and Son of man) walked the earth as a man, and many things have happened since that time. Jesus came as the last Adam to undo what the first Adam did.
“And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit.” 1 Corinthians 15:45
Jesus said,
“…I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” John 14:6
God is not the problem. He made Jesus the answer. God is not the problem, but sometimes some of his people are. If you are confused, frustrated, disillusioned, or even a bit angry with God, there is hope for you because Jesus did not leave you or forsake you. You may have become disoriented by life experiences, but the Bible still points to Jesus. He can be found in the scriptures for they testify of Him.
Keep talking to Him, and He will find you. He will cause your path to cross the paths of His truly committed servants who will speak the truth and dispel the darkness that has been troubling you. However, you may have to seek the Lord on your own for a season depending on where you are, and what you have experienced in life before and after you were born again. What Jesus came to do, He did. He finished His assignment from the Father reconciling man unto God. Unfortunately, in some cases, what some have experienced after the new birth is not what God paid for when He made the sacrifice to redeem us - man.
Isaiah 61 is the promise. Luke 4 is the fulfilling of the promise.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV)
“The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.”
Luke 4:17-21 (KJV)
“And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.”
Because it is written that there is no temptation known unto man except that which is common to man, I know that I am not the only one and neither are you. Because many have strengthened me on my search for truth, I honor what Jesus said to Peter in Luke 22:31-33(KJV)
“And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren. And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.”
As much as is in me, I plan to strengthen others by passing on to them the things that it has taken me years to learn and understand by shortening their learning curve. The Lord reminds me quite often that in the beginning, I did have a great advantage. For the first six months I had little involvement with people other than those at work because I was in a training program in another State. During that time I was just so excited about the Bible that I read it every chance I got. BUT, THEN I CAME BACK HOME. Out of state training was over, and I was home again.
Although I had been in church most of my life, I had not been a student of the Bible and knew very little about God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. I returned home and they were excited about me being born again, but as time passed and I got back involved with people, I began to see and feel the difference between what I had lived and what I had learned from studying the Bible. This is where my journey into and out of confusion, frustration, disillusionment and anger towards God began.
Next week – Preparation of the heart.