Bible Prophecy and Inspiration

Galatians 3:6 – ⁶ Consider Abraham: “He believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”

So how did Abraham believe God?  Was it by just saying, okay God, I believe that?

No Abraham showed he believed God by his actions.  However it’s important to note when he didn’t take God at His word it led to repercussions.  The story of not believing the seed would come from Sarah and he tried to force it through Hagar is still having ramifications till this day.

Actions speak louder than words.

If you keep telling me your going to do something and you don’t, your words mean nothing.  If you tell me you love me and then give me no time, do anything for me, or talk well about me to others, then the talk is meaningless and cheap.

What is the most important thing in your life?  If people watched you for awhile they would probably be correct in their guess.  It would be where you spend your time and efforts and where your goals are aimed towards.

Did Abraham chase after His own goals?  When he did it backfired.  When he chased after God and the goal God had for him he flourished.

Believing God is listening to His voice and taking action.

We can all be used by God.  Yet not many allow God to work through them.

Matthew 9:37 – ³⁷ Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.

There have been workers since the disciples walked with Christ, but the workers have always been few compared to those who could be helping the Kingdom.

You can help your Lord.  It may be doing nursery once every 10 weeks, or helping to clean.  It may be in being a prayer warrior or fixing something for a gathering.  You have a ministry.  Let Him use you.  Listen to His voice.  Because if you do and you believe God fully, it will be credited as righteousness.

Ephesians 4:1-3 – ¹As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. ² Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. ³ Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

Clearly it’s not rolling over and not standing for Truth, but staying gentle and loving.  The battle is for the heart of man, not that your personal will be done, but God’s.

Love and spread truth from the Word.  Ask God to use you.  Prepare yourself.  One can never get upset if someone chooses to not listen to the Truth.  They are not rejecting you, but God.  That’s why we need to stay gentle and loving.  You never know what tomorrow will bring to the continuation of nurturing or watering the seed.

Luke 9:25 – ²⁵ What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?

The world and especially America has a mentality of trying to fulfill all of their worldly wishes in their lifetime.  They call it driven, goal setting, and settling for only their best.

However, does God have expectations for us?  What are they?

Luke 9:23-24- ²³ Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. ²⁴ For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.

That doesn’t sound like an endorsement that I should live full steam ahead for all my worldly desires and ideas while I still can on this earth.  Then since I’m saved we’ll concentrate on that.   It appears to me that’s trying to go for the best of both worlds, but both scenarios revolve around one thing.  It revolves around the person (me), not the Lord.  

There’s a contradiction that battles within us and this country and its philosophy really isn’t helping people who struggle in this area already.

Yet the Lord is viewing the situation and watching for those who want to serve Him.

Luke 6:20-26 – ²⁰ Looking at his disciples, he said:

“Blessed are you who are poor,
for yours is the kingdom of God.
²¹ Blessed are you who hunger now,
for you will be satisfied.
Blessed are you who weep now,
for you will laugh.
²² Blessed are you when men hate you,
when they exclude you and insult you
and reject your name as evil,
because of the Son of Man.

²³ “Rejoice in that day and leap for joy, because great is your reward in heaven. For that is how their fathers treated the prophets.

²⁴ “But woe to you who are rich,
for you have already received your comfort.
²⁵ Woe to you who are well fed now,
for you will go hungry.
Woe to you who laugh now,
for you will mourn and weep.
²⁶ Woe to you when all men speak well of you,
for that is how their fathers treated the false prophets.

The big picture!  Are we focused on it?  The majority of fallen humans want it all and they want it now.  Do we trust God?  Do we believe His Word?

God doesn’t want us to serve ourselves, He wants us to serve Him.  He will provide those other things to us.  He knows what we desire and need more than we do.

1 Kings 19:19-21 – ¹⁹ So Elijah went from there and found Elisha son of Shaphat. He was plowing with twelve yoke of oxen, and he himself was driving the twelfth pair. Elijah went up to him and threw his cloak around him. ²⁰ Elisha then left his oxen and ran after Elijah. “Let me kiss my father and mother good-by,” he said, “and then I will come with you.”

“Go back,” Elijah replied. “What have I done to you?”

²¹ So Elisha left him and went back. He took his yoke of oxen and slaughtered them. He burned the plowing equipment to cook the meat and gave it to the people, and they ate. Then he set out to follow Elijah and became his attendant.

Elisha slaughtered the oxen and used the plow to cook the meat.  Then he set out to follow Elijah.

He was committed.  He jumped in with both feet and didn’t look back.  Lot’s wife looked back and it wasn’t good.  As we know she turned into a pillar of salt.

Does Jesus want us to look back once we start?

Luke 9:59-62 – ⁵⁹ He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But the man replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

⁶⁰ Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

⁶¹ Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say good-by to my family.”

⁶² Jesus replied, “No one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

The bottom line is He wants us.  He wants us to commit.