Tag: Direction

Show Me The Way

Last post we looked at how we are to

wait patiently for the Lord in all things…

There are many instances in the scriptures where individuals have asked the Lord to give them signs or to confirm direction, action and clear instruction on how to proceed along the Way. Some examples are: Gideon, David, Moses, Eliezer, etc.

This is not something they did all the time, only when they were not sure about a decision they had to make in a particular situation. The human mind and heart can be deceiving, and the blessing is that we can ask our Heavenly Father to confirm to us, if the decision we are about to make is the right one.

However, as general guidance for disciples of Messiah who are filled with His Holy Spirit, who walk by faith and not by sight, we should not need visual aids every time to confirm our leading from His Spirit. Yet sometimes we treat the Lord like some kind of game we play, ignoring His response until we get the answer we want. We think that blending our situation together with our prayers the Lord will somehow give us a sign, something on which to hang our hopes…

Why is that?

Is it because we are having difficulty in hearing Him?

In Genesis 23:1 – 25:18 we read the account of how Eliezer found a wife for Isaac by seemingly giving the Lord conditions and instructions for Him to make it obvious who was to be the bride for Isaac.

But was it Eliezer who made up this situation with its consequences, or was it all predetermined because His answer came immediately? In fact, the Creator of the Universe had prepared the answer even before it was requested because His plan was already in motion.

 Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah, who was born to Bethuel the son of Milcah, the wife of Nahor, Abraham’s brother, came out with her water jar on her shoulder. Gen. 24:15.

There is a huge difference between snatching for answers in things that occur randomly or in self-fulfilling prophecies, and truly being directed by the Holy Spirit of our Heavenly Father. He can and does guide us by giving us specific signs to follow. The question is do we know Him well enough to recognize His signs when we see them? Do we have the wisdom to follow them? All her paths are peace. Proverbs 3:17

Following a sign from Fathers’ Holy Spirit is certainly important but how can we tell the difference between the guidance of the Lord and our own thinking?

In the case of Eliezer, it was easy, even before he had finished asking the Lord his prayers were answered.

We can miss the signs and directions from our Father for many reasons but the most likely reason is that we have already made up our minds about the way we think things should go!

We should probably allow our Heavenly Father to show us His way first, because it will without doubt be better than any plan we can formulate. When we ask Him for direction in our life and it seems like our prayers aren’t even being heard, let’s remember how easy it was for Eliezer, Abrahams’ servant.

In Matthew 6:7-8  it says that our Heavenly Father knows our request even before we ask it. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Also in Psalms 139:1-4 we read:  O LORD, you have searched me and known me!  You know when I sit down and when I rise up; you discern my thoughts from afar.  You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways.  Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O LORD, you know it altogether.

Maybe the reason we have so much trouble discerning answers from the Lord is that we’re praying with pre-laid plans in our head. Isn’t it possible that the creator of the entire universe might have something else in mind? While it is wise to plan and prepare, we must recognize that God’s sovereignty ultimately guides our lives. Our plans should be made with humility and openness to His direction.

Proverbs 16:9 A man’s heart plans his way, But the LORD directs his steps. NKJV.

Amplified Bible
A man’s mind plans his way [as he journeys through life], But the LORD directs his steps and establishes them.

When our prayers seem to go unanswered we are quick to grumble and complain, however, the times when our Heavenly Father answers clearly we are quick to thank and bless Him with worship and praise. We should be sure not to forget the Lord until the next time we want something from Him.

Answered prayer is one way that our loving Heavenly Father shows His provision, kindness and faithfulness toward us. It proves that He not only cares enough about the needs in our daily lives but He is both the directing compass and the hope of our final destination on this journey we call life. So when He faithfully responds to our prayer requests, let’s not forget to be faithful to Him in return.

Jeremiah 10:23
I know, O LORD, that a man’s way is not his own; no one who walks directs his own steps.

Psalm 37:23-24
The steps of a man are ordered by the LORD who takes delight in his journey. / Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, for the LORD is holding his hand.

Lets bless His name because He alone is worthy of our worship and let’s ask Him to teach us to run to Him only in prayer when we are in need. As His servant let’s allow Him to show us His signs and teach us to know His ways.

James 4:13-15
Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to this or that city, spend a year there, carry on business, and make a profit.”  You do not even know what will happen tomorrow! What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes. /Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”

 

Proverbs 19:21
Many plans are in a man’s heart, but the purpose of the LORD will prevail.

Maybe its time to ask our Heavenly Father to help us to not set our minds according to our own desires but to clearly see His hand of loving-kindness. 

Ephesians 1:11
In Him we were also chosen as God’s own, having been predestined according to the plan of Him who works out everything by the counsel of His will..

Philippians 2:13
For it is God who works in you to will and to act on behalf of His good purpose…

And one thing we can be sure of is that His leading will always be in agreement with His written Word, because that will never be in opposition to the Fathers will; and is always final confirmation to any decision.

The Way of peace, true shalom is the final umpire of our hearts. Col.3:15. We need Him to show us His ways that we may follow Him all the days of our lives.

Shalom ‘Mishpachah’

‘Family/Tribe’

משפחה

Mish-pa-KHa,

friends, visitors and every reader…

Please don’t leave this page before making certain you are His

and are truly born again from above.

Know of a certainty that Jesus/Yeshua is

your Redeemer, Savior, Lord

and soon returning King

and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

You are greatly loved and precious in His sight.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, not Religion.

NOT SURE? YOU CAN BE..

SAY THE FOLLOWING FROM YOUR HEART RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry.

I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus.  Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’ name. Amen.

A Sign For Direction?

This story in Genesis 23- 25 is about Abrahams servant Eliezer, who was sent on a long journey to choose a wife for Abrahams son Isaac.

 and the Lord had blessed him in every way. 2 He said to the senior servant in his household, the one in charge of all that he had, “Put your hand under my thigh. 3 I want you to swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and the God of earth, that you will not get a wife for my son from the daughters of the Canaanites, among whom I am living, 4 but will go to my country and my own relatives and get a wife for my son Isaac.”

5 The servant asked him, “What if the woman is unwilling to come back with me to this land? Shall I then take your son back to the country you came from?”

6 “Make sure that you do not take my son back there,” Abraham said.7 “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring[f] I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 8 If the woman is unwilling to come back with you, then you will be released from this oath of mine. Only do not take my son back there.” 9 So the servant put his hand under the thigh of his master Abraham and swore an oath to him concerning this matter.

10 Then the servant left, taking with him ten of his master’s camels loaded with all kinds of good things from his master. He set out for Aram Naharaim[g] and made his way to the town of Nahor. 11 He had the camels kneel down near the well outside the town; it was toward evening, the time the women go out to draw water.

12 Then he prayed, “Lord, God of my master Abraham, make me successful today, and show kindness to my master Abraham. 13 See, I am standing beside this spring, and the daughters of the townspeople are coming out to draw water. 14 May it be that when I say to a young woman, ‘Please let down your jar that I may have a drink,’ and she says, ‘Drink, and I’ll water your camels too’—let her be the one you have chosen for your servant Isaac. By this I will know that you have shown kindness to my master.”

15 Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. She was the daughter of Bethuel son of Milkah, who was the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor. 16 The woman was very beautiful, a virgin; no man had ever slept with her. She went down to the spring, filled her jar and came up again.

17 The servant hurried to meet her and said, “Please give me a little water from your jar.”

18 “Drink, my lord,” she said, and quickly lowered the jar to her hands and gave him a drink.

19 After she had given him a drink, she said, “I’ll draw water for your camels too, until they have had enough to drink.” 20 So she quickly emptied her jar into the trough, ran back to the well to draw more water, and drew enough for all his camels. 21 Without saying a word, the man watched her closely to learn whether or not the Lord had made his journey successful.

22 When the camels had finished drinking, the man took out a gold nose ring weighing a beka[h] and two gold bracelets weighing ten shekels.[i] 23 Then he asked, “Whose daughter are you? Please tell me, is there room in your father’s house for us to spend the night?”

24 She answered him, “I am the daughter of Bethuel, the son that Milkah bore to Nahor.” 25 And she added, “We have plenty of straw and fodder, as well as room for you to spend the night.”

26 Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master. As for me, the Lord has led me on the journey to the house of my master’s relatives.”

Following a sign from our Heavenly Father is of course very important, but how can we tell the difference between the guidance of the Lord and our own wishful thinking? In the case of Abrahams servant it was easy, even before he had finished asking the Lord his prayers were answered!

This is not always the case when we don’t get  an immediate reply, we sometimes think that by mixing our circumstances together with prayers the Lord will somehow give us a sign through it. Sometimes we treat our Heavenly Father like a fast food drive-through, choosing from a menu to pick just what we want fulfilling the particular craving that our carnal nature lusts after. We so often need some kind of sign, something to hang our hopes on, because otherwise it seems so hard for us to hear Him.

This story in Genesis about Abrahams servant Eliezer is interesting because he seemed to make up this particular scenario as a way to choose Isaacs wife.

Or Did he???

In 24:7 Abraham said “The Lord, the God of heaven, who brought me out of my father’s household and my native land and who spoke to me and promised me on oath, saying, ‘To your offspring[f] I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 

If we read carefully we see that Abraham had already received a promise concerning how he was to find a future wife for Isaac.

I will give this land’—he will send his angel before you so that you can get a wife for my son from there. 

The Angel or messenger had already prepared the way of this entire situation and how it would unfold. There is a huge difference between grasping for direction in random circumstances or in self-fulfilling prophecies; and not truly being directed by the Spirit of the living God.

Our Heavenly Father can and does guide us, and many times He will give us specific signs to follow but certainly not every time. The question we should ask ourselves is, do we know Him well enough to recognize His signs when we see them? We are not to focus on or look for specific signs because they are in the sense realm and that is where the enemy can interfere and try to mislead us away from the path that the Lord has chosen for us.

Col. 3:15-17

His Way is always peace, we will always have a deep seated peace within us. His Peace is the umpire, the settler of our hearts. He will never do anything nor tell us to do something contrary to His written word. His Spirit and His Word will confirm each other.

John 16:14

He will always speak to us through His Word by His Spirit of Holiness, confirming that the way of the Spirit is the way of the Word. His Holy Spirit speaks through and in agreement with His Word. As our minds are renewed, we are then receptive to godly principles, the implications of obedience and disobedience, and how each of us can uniquely apply His truth revealing the direction of our life.

And let the peace (soul harmony which comes) from Christ rule (act as umpire continually) in your hearts [deciding and settling with finality all questions that arise in your minds, in that peaceful state] to which as [members of Christ’s] one body you were also called [to live]. Colossians 3:15 Amplified Bible.

Before he had finished praying, Rebekah came out with her jar on her shoulder. Gen. 24:15

There are many reasons why we can miss the signs and direction of the Lord; however the most likely one is, that we have already made up our minds about the way we think things should go. Maybe we should give God a chance to show us His way first, it might just be that He has a better idea!

When we ask our Heavenly Father for direction in our life and it seems like our prayers aren’t even being heard, let’s remember how easy it was for Abrahams servant Eliezer. Could it be that the reason we have so much trouble discerning answers from the Lord is because we are praying with a pre-determined plan in our head?

Is it possible that the creator of the universe has something different for our future than the outcome we see?

We need to trust Him more for the outcome He has already planned for us.

Ps 139:16

Then the man bowed down and worshiped the Lord, 27 saying, “Praise be to the Lord, the God of my master Abraham, who has not abandoned his kindness and faithfulness to my master.

When our prayers seem to go out unanswered, we are often too quick to murmur and complain. Have we ever considered that we receive not because we ask amiss, wanting to fulfill our own worldly and fleshly lusts? James 4:3. So sometimes it is for our own good that things are withheld from us.

However, what about the times when God answers clearly, then we are quick to bless Him with thanksgiving, praise and worship. It seems we are then more likely to forget Him until the next time we want something.

Answered prayer is one of the many ways that our Heavenly Father shows His loving-kindness and faithfulness towards us. Proving that He not only remembers us but He is concerned about our daily needs and desires to be both the direction and destination on this journey and the provision in our lives.

We are not to set our minds according to our own desires but know that His ways are not always our ways and when He does respond, we must remain faithful to Him in return and continue to give Him the glory.

One thing is certain from the scriptures, if we are walking close to our Heavenly Father, we will not only hear Him and heed His directions but; everything we need will already have been prepared, ready and waiting for just the right time so we can fulfill the plans He has prepared for us. These provisions are on His pathway not the one of our choosing. Sometimes it is a good indication we are on the wrong path when there is no provision.

Ephesians 2:10 For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

Because our Father is no respecter of persons, in the same way as the messenger/angel promised to Abraham that he would go before him and orchestrate the future meeting at the well; and we often call these encounters divine appointments. We can be certain that He will also perfectly complete the plan He has for each of us.

Phil. 1:6 being confident of this very thing, that He who has begun a good work in you will complete it until the day of Jesus Christ.

When we pray according to the will of our Father it is already taken care of, we just have to be obedient to walk by faith in what He has prepared, even when we don’t see it in the natural.

From last weeks post readers may find this video of interest:

(Utube link below)

https://youtu.be/hOJqLTc6RkU

 

Shalom aleikhem

chaverim and mishpachah!

Peace to friends and family.

Shavua Tov, Have a blessed week.

Make certain Messiah Jesus/Yeshua is your Redeemer, Savior, Lord and soon returning King and that you have a personal relationship with Him.

It’s all about Life and Relationship, NOT Religion.

You are very precious in His sight.

Not sure ..you can be…

SIMPLY SAY THE FOLLOWING MEANING IT FROM YOUR HEART..don’t delay one more minute,

SAY IT RIGHT NOW…

Heavenly Father I come to you in the Name of Jesus/Yeshua asking for forgiveness of my sins for which I am truly sorry. I repent of them all and turn away from my past.

I believe with my heart and confess with my mouth that Jesus/Yeshua is your Son and that He died on the cross at calvary to pay the price for my sin, so that I might be forgiven and have eternal life in the kingdom of Heaven. Father I believe that Jesus/Yeshua rose from the dead and I ask you to come into my life right now and be my personal Savior and Lord and I will worship you all the days of my life. Because your word is truth I say that I am now forgiven and born again and by faith I am washed clean with the blood of Jesus/Yeshua. Thank you that you have accepted me into your family in Jesus’/Yeshua’s name.