The unreasonable will of God

The unreasonable will of God

Dr. Charles Stanley

God does not require us to understand His will, but to be obedient to His will, even if it seems unreasonable.

We cannot just obey God only when it seems reasonable.

One day as Jesus was standing by the Lake of Gennesaret, the people were crowding around him and listening to the word of God. He saw at the water's edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat. When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, "Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch." Simon answered, "Master, we've worked hard all night and haven't caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets." When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus' knees and said, "Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!" For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon's partners. Then Jesus said to Simon, "Don't be afraid; from now on you will fish for people." So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him. (‭Luke‬ ‭5‬:‭1-11‬ NIV)

God has a will for your life and He has equipped you to do whatever He wants you to do.

He has a plan for your life. He will not call you to something that He hasn't already planned for you.

Sometimes God asks us to do unreasonable things.

God does not make mistakes.

Are we willing to obey God even when things don't look reasonable to us?

God is under no obligation to show us why He says no.

Whenever He says no, He's protecting you.

Common sense does not work, God's omniscience always works!

God is always right.

When you argue with God, you'll end up with the wrong consequences.

The right answer to God's will is "yes, I will do it."

We are to reflect God's glory by walking in His will.

To find the will of God:

⚫️ start reading God's Word.

⚫️ Ask God to speak to your heart.

⚫️ Watch what He does in your circumstances as you seek His will.

⚫️ recognize that His will doesn't come quickly.

Ask God "whatever you want I want" to experience inexplicable peace, joy, and contentment.

Don't miss out on God's best, He has the best plan for us. We get a glimpse of Jesus like Peter did when we obey Him. God can use us in the most awesome way if we let Him. Are we willing to surrender our life to Him? Can we profit in any way by disobeying God? We will never regret it if we obey Him.

Samuel - Sacred Calling

Samuel - Sacred Calling

1 Samuel 3:1-21

Pastor Miles

4/26/2015

1 Samuel 3:

1 Now the young man Samuel was ministering to the LORD under Eli. And the word of the LORD was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.

2 At that time Eli, whose eyesight had begun to grow dim so that he could not see, was lying down in his own place. 3 The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the temple of the LORD, where the ark of God was.

4 Then the LORD called Samuel, and he said, "Here I am!" 5 and ran to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call; lie down again." So he went and lay down.

6 And the LORD called again, "Samuel!" and Samuel arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." But he said, "I did not call, my son; lie down again." 7 Now Samuel did not yet know the LORD, and the word of the LORD had not yet been revealed to him.

8 And the LORD called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli and said, "Here I am, for you called me." Then Eli perceived that the LORD was calling the young man. 9 Therefore Eli said to Samuel, "Go, lie down, and if he calls you, you shall say, 'Speak, LORD, for your servant hears.'" So Samuel went and lay down in his place.

10 And the LORD came and stood, calling as at other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" And Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant hears." 11 Then the LORD said to Samuel, "Behold, I am about to do a thing in Israel at which the two ears of everyone who hears it will tingle. 12 On that day I will fulfill against Eli all that I have spoken concerning his house, from beginning to end. 13 And I declare to him that I am about to punish his house forever, for the iniquity that he knew, because his sons were blaspheming God, and he did not restrain them. 14 Therefore I swear to the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be atoned for by sacrifice or offering forever."

15 Samuel lay until morning; then he opened the doors of the house of the LORD. And Samuel was afraid to tell the vision to Eli. 16 But Eli called Samuel and said, "Samuel, my son." And he said, "Here I am." 17 And Eli said, "What was it that he told you? Do not hide it from me. May God do so to you and more also if you hide anything from me of all that he told you." 18 So Samuel told him everything and hid nothing from him. And he said, "It is the LORD. Let him do what seems good to him."

19 And Samuel grew, and the LORD was with him and let none of his words fall to the ground. 20 And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew that Samuel was established as a prophet of the LORD. 21 And the LORD appeared again at Shiloh, for the LORD revealed himself to Samuel at Shiloh by the word of the LORD.

1. God speaks to us but we have to listen.

The boy Samuel ministered before the Lord under Eli. In those days the word of the Lord was rare; there were not many visions.

The Lord continued to appear at Shiloh, and there he revealed himself to Samuel through his word. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭1, 21‬ NIV)

There he went into a cave and spent the night. And the word of the Lord came to him: "What are you doing here, Elijah?" He replied, "I have been very zealous for the Lord God Almighty. The Israelites have rejected your covenant, torn down your altars, and put your prophets to death with the sword. I am the only one left, and now they are trying to kill me too." The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, but the Lord was not in the earthquake. After the earthquake came a fire, but the Lord was not in the fire. And after the fire came a gentle whisper. (‭1 Kings‬ ‭19‬:‭9-12‬ NIV)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, "This is the way; walk in it." (‭Isaiah‬ ‭30‬:‭21‬ NIV)

"Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice." (‭John‬ ‭10‬:‭1-5‬ NIV)

⚫️It's more than just hearing, it's listening!

⚫️Tune down the noise / distractions of our surroundings so we can hear God's voice clearly.

⚫️God speaks to us by His Holy Spirit, through the Bible.

2. God still calls people.

One night Eli, whose eyes were becoming so weak that he could barely see, was lying down in his usual place. The lamp of God had not yet gone out, and Samuel was lying down in the house of the Lord, where the ark of God was. Then the Lord called Samuel. Samuel answered, "Here I am." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭2-4‬ NIV)

⚫️How do we recognize God's voice?

A. Is it scriptural?

B. Is it wise?

C. Do mature Christians around you confirm it?

3. We need to help people recognize the Voice of God.

Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord: The word of the Lord had not yet been revealed to him. A third time the Lord called, "Samuel!" And Samuel got up and went to Eli and said, "Here I am; you called me." Then Eli realized that the Lord was calling the boy. So Eli told Samuel, "Go and lie down, and if he calls you, say, 'Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.' " So Samuel went and lay down in his place. The Lord came and stood there, calling as at the other times, "Samuel! Samuel!" Then Samuel said, "Speak, for your servant is listening." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭3‬:‭7-10‬ NIV)

We need to make inter generational relationships a priority.

Younger people: seek out the wisdom of older people.

Older people: be willing to embrace time with the younger generation. Take risks. Help them recognize God's voice. 

Help them see how faith can be lived out though work and vocation.

Invest in our youth, it will pay great dividends.

Become a mentor.

Samuel - Sacred Choices

Samuel - Sacred Choices

1 Samuel 1:21-2:36

Pastor Miles

4/19/2015

1. Hannah is tested with giving up her son

When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, "After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always." "Do what seems best to you," her husband Elkanah told her. "Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his word." So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭21-23‬ NIV)

After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull, an ephah of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, and she said to him, "Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord." And he worshiped the Lord there. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭1‬:‭24-28‬ NIV)

⚫️ Giving up Samuel was probably not an easy thing for Hannah to do.

⚫️ However, she was reminded that Samuel was God's answer and gift to her prayers, and so she chose to honor God and kept her promise to the Lord.

2. Honoring God leads to joy and honor.

Then Hannah prayed and said: "My heart rejoices in the Lord; in the Lord my horn is lifted high. My mouth boasts over my enemies, for I delight in your deliverance. "There is no one holy like the Lord; there is no one besides you; there is no Rock like our God. "Do not keep talking so proudly or let your mouth speak such arrogance, for the Lord is a God who knows, and by him deeds are weighed. "The bows of the warriors are broken, but those who stumbled are armed with strength. Those who were full hire themselves out for food, but those who were hungry are hungry no more. She who was barren has borne seven children, but she who has had many sons pines away. "The Lord brings death and makes alive; he brings down to the grave and raises up. The Lord sends poverty and wealth; he humbles and he exalts. He raises the poor from the dust and lifts the needy from the ash heap; he seats them with princes and has them inherit a throne of honor. "For the foundations of the earth are the Lord's; on them he has set the world. He will guard the feet of his faithful servants, but the wicked will be silenced in the place of darkness. "It is not by strength that one prevails; those who oppose the Lord will be broken. The Most High will thunder from heaven; the Lord will judge the ends of the earth. "He will give strength to his king and exalt the horn of his anointed." Then Elkanah went home to Ramah, but the boy ministered before the Lord under Eli the priest. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭1-11‬ NIV)

⚫️There is a satisfaction, joy, and freedom from knowing that you've done the right thing when we honor God.

But Samuel was ministering before the Lord —a boy wearing a linen ephod. Each year his mother made him a little robe and took it to him when she went up with her husband to offer the annual sacrifice. Eli would bless Elkanah and his wife, saying, "May the Lord give you children by this woman to take the place of the one she prayed for and gave to the Lord." Then they would go home. And the Lord was gracious to Hannah; she gave birth to three sons and two daughters. Meanwhile, the boy Samuel grew up in the presence of the Lord. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭18-21‬ NIV)

💬He who honors me, I will honor.

3. Eli is tested with disciplining his children.

Eli's sons were scoundrels; they had no regard for the Lord. Now it was the practice of the priests that, whenever any of the people offered a sacrifice, the priest's servant would come with a three-pronged fork in his hand while the meat was being boiled and would plunge the fork into the pan or kettle or caldron or pot. Whatever the fork brought up the priest would take for himself. This is how they treated all the Israelites who came to Shiloh. But even before the fat was burned, the priest's servant would come and say to the person who was sacrificing, "Give the priest some meat to roast; he won't accept boiled meat from you, but only raw." If the person said to him, "Let the fat be burned first, and then take whatever you want," the servant would answer, "No, hand it over now; if you don't, I'll take it by force." This sin of the young men was very great in the Lord's sight, for they were treating the Lord's offering with contempt. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭12-17‬ NIV)

⚫️Eli's sons had contempt for the things of God.

Now Eli, who was very old, heard about everything his sons were doing to all Israel and how they slept with the women who served at the entrance to the tent of meeting. So he said to them, "Why do you do such things? I hear from all the people about these wicked deeds of yours. No, my sons; the report I hear spreading among the Lord's people is not good. If one person sins against another, God may mediate for the offender; but if anyone sins against the Lord, who will intercede for them?" His sons, however, did not listen to their father's rebuke, for it was the Lord's will to put them to death. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭22-25‬ NIV)

⚫️Eli warns them but doesn't discipline them or allow them to experience the consequence of their sin. Although he rebuked them, he did not go further and discipline them by taking away their priesthood.

4. Dishonoring God leads to pain and dishonor.

Now a man of God came to Eli and said to him, "This is what the Lord says: 'Did I not clearly reveal myself to your ancestor's family when they were in Egypt under Pharaoh? I chose your ancestor out of all the tribes of Israel to be my priest, to go up to my altar, to burn incense, and to wear an ephod in my presence. I also gave your ancestor's family all the food offerings presented by the Israelites. Why do you scorn my sacrifice and offering that I prescribed for my dwelling? Why do you honor your sons more than me by fattening yourselves on the choice parts of every offering made by my people Israel?' "Therefore the Lord, the God of Israel, declares: 'I promised that members of your family would minister before me forever.' But now the Lord declares: 'Far be it from me! Those who honor me I will honor, but those who despise me will be disdained. The time is coming when I will cut short your strength and the strength of your priestly house, so that no one in it will reach old age, and you will see distress in my dwelling. Although good will be done to Israel, no one in your family line will ever reach old age. Every one of you that I do not cut off from serving at my altar I will spare only to destroy your sight and sap your strength, and all your descendants will die in the prime of life. " 'And what happens to your two sons, Hophni and Phinehas, will be a sign to you—they will both die on the same day. I will raise up for myself a faithful priest, who will do according to what is in my heart and mind. I will firmly establish his priestly house, and they will minister before my anointed one always. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭2‬:‭27-35‬ NIV)

⚫️Pain and dishonor will follow us if we dishonor God but God will honor those who honor Him.

⚫️Is there a choice that we need to make to honor God?

⚫️Is there an area in our lives that is dishonoring God?

The Joy of Easter

The Joy of Easter

1 Peter 1:3-9

Pastor Miles

4/5/2015

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade. This inheritance is kept in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God's power until the coming of the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time. (‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭3-5‬ NIV)

1. The joy of Easter is the result of the resurrection of Jesus.

A. God has given us new birth.

There is a spiritual resurrection that we experience when we are born again.

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here! (‭2 Corinthians‬ ‭5‬:‭17‬ NIV)

B. God has given us a living hope.

Because Jesus is alive!

C. God has given us an eternal inheritance through the resurrection.

Through Jesus' resurrection we have been adopted into his family.

This inheritance will never spoil, perish or fade.

It can't be lost or stolen.

It's kept in heaven for us.

D. God has protected us.

2. The joy of Easter is ours through faith.

In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. (‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭6-7‬ NIV)

We suffer all kinds of trials here on earth to prove that our faith is genuine.

When we go through trials the doubts and fears can be overwhelming, but we can be a witness to the world that our faith is real and genuine.

God puts on display the genuineness of our faith through trials.

This kind of faith is very precious, more than gold, which can perish one day.

Real faith can never perish. It lasts forever.

3. The real joy of Easter is the result of real faith.

Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (‭1 Peter‬ ‭1‬:‭8-9‬ NIV)

http://www.lookandlearn.com/blog/29268/the-great-blondin-once-cooked-an-omelette-on-a-tightrope/

Although we haven't seen Jesus, we have a deep love for Him - that's real faith!

Real faith means that we get in the wheelbarrow as Jesus pushes us across the tightrope of our life's journey.

How do we grow in faith?

1. Hear and receive God's Word.

Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word about Christ. (‭Romans‬ ‭10‬:‭17‬ NIV)

2. Get into the lifestyle of worship.

3. Get involved in a community of faith.

So when the trials come, our faith is real.

Real faith is the joy of Easter every day.

Iron Sharpens Iron

Iron Sharpens Iron

Rod Hairston

We are anointed because of Jesus Christ.

However, that does not make us immune from heartache and pain.

Pressure can make us forget that we are anointed.

David lost everything of value to him, and aligns himself with his enemies.

David and his men reached Ziklag on the third day. Now the Amalekites had raided the Negev and Ziklag. They had attacked Ziklag and burned it, and had taken captive the women and everyone else in it, both young and old. They killed none of them, but carried them off as they went on their way. When David and his men reached Ziklag, they found it destroyed by fire and their wives and sons and daughters taken captive. So David and his men wept aloud until they had no strength left to weep. David's two wives had been captured—Ahinoam of Jezreel and Abigail, the widow of Nabal of Carmel. David was greatly distressed because the men were talking of stoning him; each one was bitter in spirit because of his sons and daughters. But David found strength in the Lord his God. Then David said to Abiathar the priest, the son of Ahimelek, "Bring me the ephod." Abiathar brought it to him, and David inquired of the Lord, "Shall I pursue this raiding party? Will I overtake them?" "Pursue them," he answered. "You will certainly overtake them and succeed in the rescue." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭1-8‬ NIV)

1. David inserted a "BUT" between his devastation and his destiny.

2. David found strength in God, despite the devastating reality of his present.

Our worship and praise for God can break our chains and gives us freedom.

3. David renewed the priority of prayer in his life.

We need to do the same. Seek God first. Our answers will come through prayer.

They found an Egyptian in a field and brought him to David. They gave him water to drink and food to eat— part of a cake of pressed figs and two cakes of raisins. He ate and was revived, for he had not eaten any food or drunk any water for three days and three nights. David asked him, "Who do you belong to? Where do you come from?" He said, "I am an Egyptian, the slave of an Amalekite. My master abandoned me when I became ill three days ago. We raided the Negev of the Kerethites, some territory belonging to Judah and the Negev of Caleb. And we burned Ziklag." David asked him, "Can you lead me down to this raiding party?" He answered, "Swear to me before God that you will not kill me or hand me over to my master, and I will take you down to them." (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭11-15‬ NIV)

Be careful with how we treat people. God may be using them to help you get to your destiny.

David had the wisdom to treat the Egyptian well, and it helped him in the end.

He led David down, and there they were, scattered over the countryside, eating, drinking and reveling because of the great amount of plunder they had taken from the land of the Philistines and from Judah. David fought them from dusk until the evening of the next day, and none of them got away, except four hundred young men who rode off on camels and fled. (‭1 Samuel‬ ‭30‬:‭16-17‬ NIV)

We have to fight to get back what is rightfully ours!

Remember we are anointed, and we are called to fight.

God fought for us through His Son.

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Power of a Father's Blessi

Iron Sharpens Iron: The Power of a Father's Blessing

Mike Haddorff

The Journey

1. What I can do?

2. Show

3. Bless - this ability will exist till the end

This ability comes differently from the first 2.

I have something to impart. This affects our perspective.

Through experience we learn to trust through adversity. This changes our perspective.

What has helped or propelled us, and what has hindered us in our life?

Our words matter! They have the power to influence for the negative and positive.

Forgiveness is powerful and transformative.

The truth: you are a son of the living God. Beloved in His eyes, always.

The Packet

1. Setting

2. Content - the blesser and the blessed 

3. Emotion

Genesis 27 - the blessing of Isaac.

It (the packet) gives weight/ substance or it could be a wound.

Blessings can be transferred, as can curses, through the generations.

Our life can live on through our blessing. 

Are we life-givers or life-takers?

The Model (L.I.V.E.)

1. Look - become an observer. Watch for opportunities we can impart blessing.

2. Interpret - giving an observation definition. 

3. Value - place a value on it. 

4. Extend it - translate it into the future. 

💬I see how well you are doing this ____, it is a good thing. I'm proud of you for doing this. It is a wonderful thing that God has done and blessed you with. I admire this trait. I ask that God will continue to use this gift for the future.

Lionel

Iron Sharpens Iron: Cover Her: How to Create a Saf

Iron Sharpens Iron: Cover Her: How to Create a Safe Place for the Ladies in your Life

Rod Hairston

3/21/2015

We need to learn how to manage our man-strength, to cover our ladies in our lives.

Are they safe with us?

4 areas of concern:

1. Physical

2. Emotional

3. Spiritual

4. Financial

The idea of covering comes from God. He has commanded us to offer hospitality to strangers. 

While they were enjoying themselves, some of the wicked men of the city surrounded the house. Pounding on the door, they shouted to the old man who owned the house, "Bring out the man who came to your house so we can have sex with him." The owner of the house went outside and said to them, "No, my friends, don't be so vile. Since this man is my guest, don't do this outrageous thing. Look, here is my virgin daughter, and his concubine. I will bring them out to you now, and you can use them and do to them whatever you wish. But as for this man, don't do such an outrageous thing." But the men would not listen to him. So the man took his concubine and sent her outside to them, and they raped her and abused her throughout the night, and at dawn they let her go. At daybreak the woman went back to the house where her master was staying, fell down at the door and lay there until daylight. When her master got up in the morning and opened the door of the house and stepped out to continue on his way, there lay his concubine, fallen in the doorway of the house, with her hands on the threshold. He said to her, "Get up; let's go." But there was no answer. Then the man put her on his donkey and set out for home. When he reached home, he took a knife and cut up his concubine, limb by limb, into twelve parts and sent them into all the areas of Israel. Everyone who saw it was saying to one another, "Such a thing has never been seen or done, not since the day the Israelites came up out of Egypt. Just imagine! We must do something! So speak up!" (‭Judges‬ ‭19‬:‭22-30‬ NIV)

There was a lack of leadership in the land at that time.

This woman was a concubine of a Levite. But this woman was not covered. 

Are we providing a safe place for our women?

But she was unfaithful to him. She left him and went back to her parents' home in Bethlehem, Judah. After she had been there four months, her husband went to her to persuade her to return. He had with him his servant and two donkeys. She took him into her parents' home, and when her father saw him, he gladly welcomed him. His father-in-law, the woman's father, prevailed on him to stay; so he remained with him three days, eating and drinking, and sleeping there. (‭Judges‬ ‭19‬:‭2-4‬ NIV)

We need to be more protective of our daughters as fathers.

Establish ground rules for daughter's dates.

Don't sit in silence and be passive.

Our daughters look to us for protection. We need to screen who comes in.

We are essentially responsible for all the women in our lives.

We have the most critical role in society.

We can't let a sixteen year old talk us out of our responsibility. It's better to be over the top (in their mind) and still be in the picture.

We need to be more sensitive to our wive's needs.

They may be on the threshold, and we aren't aware of her background situation. We need to provide reassurance and comfort, to cover her.

Our God covers us.

Are we strong enough to communicate tenderly to our wives?

http://familylifetoday.com/program/protecting-the-woman-in-your-life/

Lionel