GOD'S PLAN

“For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” Jeremiah 29:11

I’m sure you’re familiar with this verse from Proverbs. It is a verse that is quoted quite frequently and of course it is absolute truth. But until tonight, I’ve not looked into the verses surrounding it. Read this verse in context.

This is what the LORD says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you, “declares the LORD, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. you will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you, declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you,” declares the LORD, “and will bring you back from the place which I carried you into exile.”

God had a plan for his people, the Israelites, from the very beginning. They were the way in which he would reveal himself to the entire world. They were a wondering people. And because they chose to do things their way, they ended up being given over as captives to the Babylonians. The LORD, however, had a plan for his people and that plan could not be thwarted. Delayed yes! But never stopped or changed. It wasn’t until the people were broken in their captivity that they would turn to God, call his name, and seek to find him. It was at this point that they would find him and he would free them. God would then gather up his children and bring them back from all their wanderings. He had a plan and nothing was going to stop it!

This is the way God still works today. He works for us a creation, a nation, a family, and as an individual. He has a plan! What is that plan? Very simply, that plan is for us to recognize his existence, call out to him to be delivered from our captivity to sin, and then seek to find and know him. It’s the same plan that has been in place from the very beginning. 

I had written a few days ago about brokenness. It is a process and not a one time event. But no matter what detours the process involves, the end result is still the same- relationship with God through Jesus. I used to worry that I could mess up God’s plans. I feared that every decision I made could keep me from getting where he wanted me to be. Well, this verse assures me that God is not worried about where or when I find him. His only plan is that I find him! Yes, he would rather I open my heart and mind to receive him early, but when I make a mistake, he doesn’t change plans!

Some people find a deep relationship with the LORD at a very young age and serve him fully their entire lives. Others find him on their death bed. It doesn’t matter when it happens because all of heaven rejoices either way! The sad part is that the longer we wait to acknowledge his presence, the more blessings we miss. He wants good for us as we travel this life on earth. It is a result of our choices and the choices of generations before us that cause us harm.

I’ve always wondered if I should have been a missionary, or if I am teaching at the right school, or did I have the correct words in a certain situation. But this verse assures me that where I am is perfect. God is ready to meet with us wherever and whenever. The choice is ours! Don’t wait another day to look for him. He wants to deliver you from your captivity and set you free! If you are a wanderer, we can relate. If you are hearing God say, “Come to me.” Do not delay! As with the Israelites, God was continually calling to them. They got busy with life, and his voice grew more distant. If you are hearing him call to you today it is a gift! Don’t let shame, fear, or uncertainty keep you away. 

We would love to pray for you or help you find the person who will guide you on the next step in your journey. Comment, question, or privately email us. Our email is godfirstfriends@gmail.com   I know this is for someone because my heart is being stirred by the Holy Spirit to add this at the end of this blog. Dear friend, I love you and God is so waiting for you to turn and seek his face!

Be Broken

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is upon me, because the Lord has appointed me to bring good news to the poor.  He has sent me to comfort the brokenhearted and to announce that captives will be released and prisoners will be freed.  He has sent me to tell those who mourn that the time of the Lord’s favor has come, and with the day of God’s anger against their enemies.    

Isaiah 61:1-2

One sabbath day, when Jesus was in His hometown of Nazareth, He went to the synagogue and quoted this scripture from Isaiah.  When He was finished reading it He proclaimed, “this scripture has come true today before your very eyes” (Luke 4:21). That day in the synagogue Jesus began His ministry.  He announced to all that He was the one who would heal us.  He was sent to earth, appointed by the Lord, to give freedom to the oppressed, comfort to the brokenhearted, and healing to the sick.  That day, in front of His friends and family, His boyhood home, He was not afraid to proclaim His gift and the reason for His life.  

When do you go to the doctor?  Are you someone who goes for every little problem that arises or are you the type who waits until you are on the verge of death before you decide you will make an appointment and fork up the office co-pay?  I am the type who will wait it out.  I will keep pushing it off thinking that I will wait to see what tomorrow brings.  Tomorrow comes and the next day goes with no change. Unfortunately it is now a weekend or holiday so there I must wait some more and try some home remedies in the hopes of finding relief for what started out as a sniffle and has since turned into more.    

The same can go for spiritual brokenness.  We often don’t notice that we are sick, and if we do it’s nothing serious.  Yes, we might see a little problem in the way we just handled that situation or we probably shouldn’t be participating in this act.  But sick enough to make an appointment?  Heck no!  We think we can wait it out or treat it on our own. 

We are confident in ourselves and our ability to change when we want to so we never ask for another opinion.  Unfortunately waiting for spiritual brokenness to heal itself won’t work because we can never be broken until we can admit we are broken.  A person can’t tell us we are broken nor can someone break for us.  Even home remedies won’t last in healing our brokenness.   

The high and lofty one who inhabits eternity, the Holy One, says this, “I live in that high and holy place with those whose spirits are contrite and humble.  I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.

Isaiah 57:!5

Only God can help us break and only Jesus can heal our brokenness.  God will help us by speaking to our hearts about our illness but if we aren’t willing to hear Him it does no good.  Jesus was sent to heal all brokenness.  He was sent to save us from our bondage to sin and despair.  He is our hope and our healer.  Yes, we have it all!  We may have to realize our need to be fixed on our own, but God is with us every step of the way.  Jesus is right there lifting us up and granting us healing at every turn.  Being broken takes courage and a willingness to change our life......a decision only we can make for ourself.  Sometimes tragedy or complete desperation will push us to brokenness but ultimately it is a choice, we can only be made well after we first admit we are ill.      

The sacrifice You want is a broken spirit.  A broken and repentant heart, O God, You will not despise.

Psalm 51:17

Applying the word broken to our life sounds depressing and no fun at all.  Who wants to admit they are broken?  Who wants to admit they are not all put together, that he or she has flaws? No one wants to be ill or broken but in our spiritual life it it the only way we can be made well.  Jesus came to earth to give us eternal life and heal our hearts.  He came to prepare us for a relationship with Him and a life spent serving God.  He wants to take our ugly and make it beautiful.  He has the power to take our sin and use it to glorify God.  Through Jesus beauty comes from ashes and the ashes come from our willingness to let go and change our life.  The ashes are left over from our sacrifice......we offer God our life and we burn it on the alter.  We allow His will to become our own and begin living for Him and not ourself.  

To all who mourn in Israel, he will give beauty for ashes, joy instead of mourning, praise instead of despair.  For the Lord has planted them like strong and graceful oaks for His own glory.

Isaiah 61:3

Brokenness

Brokenness. What is it? That’s the question that’s been on my mind for the last 2 hours. It’s what I’ve been wrestling with God about for the last 5 years. Here’s what he has shown me.

Brokenness is the point at which you are so unable to stand on your own that you can do nothing other than turn to God. It is the place where everything you love, value, hold dear or even thought you wanted become absolutely pointless. It is the point at which you choose to do things God’s way. It is the point at which you hear God ask, “Do you want to be well?” John 5:1-8 says this,

 Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethseda and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades. Here a great number of disabled people used to lie-- the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years.

 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?” 

 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” At once the man was cured, he picked up his mat and walked.

1) The Jewish men came to Jerusalem 3 times each year to celebrate festivals: The Feast of the Passover, The Festival of Pentecost, and The Festival of Tabernacles. 

2) As this story unfolds, we see many broken people lying next to the pool. This pool held healing powers and when the waters stirred, the first one in found healing for their need.

There were 3 types of people at the pool. 

The blind: Those who cannot see. Those who don’t want to see. Those who have lost sight of life’s purpose.

The lame: Those who cannot walk. Those who are physically ill. Those who don’t 

      know where to turn next. Those who are hurting.

The paralyzed: Those who cannot help themselves. Those who have lost hope and see no way out. Those whose  

                     circumstances feel unchangeable. 

3) One of the men had been at the pool for 38 years. On first reading this you might think. What? That’s insane. Who would stay there 38 years? Well, someone who couldn’t help himself/herself. Someone who was so broken and obviously so, but no one took time to help. 

4) Jesus approaches the pool and asks the man, “Do you want to get well?” I’m thinking, “Duh?” who wouldn’t want to be well? He’d been sick for 38 years. Do you think he really liked it? But that wasn’t the point of Jesus question. His question wasn’t a surface question. It was deeper than that. What he was asking was, “Are you ready to make a change? Are you willing to do whatever it takes to get well? Are you ready to put this old life behind you and move into my glory?” This was the time the man had to think about himself. 

5) The man’s answer is simple. “There is no one to help me into the pool.” Life is too hard for any of us to handle alone. We need at least one person who is there for us. But oh how blessed are those who have many!

6) Jesus tells the man, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” Jesus has given the man everything he needed to take care of business. I can just see Jesus reaching out this hand to the man and pulling him up to his feet, smiling and then leading him to the pool.

This is the process of brokenness summed up in 6 words that the Spirit has spoken to my heart over the past few years. They are:

1. Appeal- Praise
2. Conceal- Our sin is hidden. Maybe we honestly don’t see it. Maybe we don’t want to see it. Or perhaps we are doing things to avoid looking at our own sin. 
3. Reveal- Our sin is pointed out to us and we get to decide whether or not we will deal with it. 
4. Deal- We wrestle with God for answers and conviction.  
5. Heal- We look at our sin and determine what steps it will take to get well. 
6. Seal- Jesus takes our hand. Guides us and says, “I’m here for you! Let’s do this together.”

Brokenness can happen time and again as we allow God to work deeper within us. God will chip away every little part of our heart. Brokenness isn’t a one time deal, it’s a continual process.

Now as for you, where are you in the process? Comment back. I’d love hear your story!

Turn Away

But God’s truth stands firm like a foundation stone with this inscription:  “The Lord knows those who are His,”  and “all who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.”  

2 Timothy 2:19

God says, that all who belong to the Lord must turn away from evil.  I don’t know what your idea of turning away is but I am going to take a crack at it.  I like to believe that it is more than just refusing to act on a specific sin.  God wants more from us than just the will to make the right choices when it comes to physically carrying out a sinful act.  God gave us boundaries to rebuke sin all together.  He knows the power that satan can have over us and He doesn’t want us to even go near a sinful situation.  For example, how many of us go to the the movies with a bunch of friends knowing very well that the movie would not be acceptable in God’s eyes.  We have fun laughing at the crude jokes and lusting over the inappropriate sex scenes so on the way home we continue the joking and act like everything is ok.  We aren’t physically acting out the movie but by watching it and joking about it we are accepting it.  We are making a statement that says that the pornography and foul language associated with the movie is “ok”.  Maybe you still believe that there is nothing wrong with a situation such as this but please hear me out to the end.  God expects His children to completely stay away from sinful thoughts and desires.  He expects us to keep our minds clear of sin and wants us to avoid all sinful behavior, or thoughts of it. I believe we can sin with our mind through our thoughts and desires without ever acting.  

A good person produces good things from the treasury of a good heart, and an evil person produces evil things from the treasury of an evil heart.  What you say flows from what is in your heart. 

Luke 6:45      

In the Merriam-Websters dictionary under the phrase “Turn Away” several verbs are listed.  AVERT which means to see coming and look away or avoid.  REJECT to refuse to accept, consider or submit to.  REPEL to fight against or resist, to drive away or discourage, to be incapable of adhering to or mixing with.  

When God tells us to turn away He is telling us to avoid the sin before it ever becomes a thought or action.  He is commanding us to stay away all together and don’t associate with it.  If we compromise, allowing one bad thought, or accept one “little” sin to enter our mind we have given satan a way in.  We are opening the door and saying “come on in satan, welcome to my life”.  

When welcoming someone into your home do you ever say, “come on in but only stay right here by the door, you are not welcome to enter any other room in my house”?  No we invite someone in knowing well that they might need to use the restroom or they might want to visit a while in the living room, he or she may even want a bite to eat from the kitchen.  The same goes for satan, when we invite him in there is a good chance, no, a great chance, he is planning on staying a while.  If satan finds a way in, you can count on him using every “trick” he has to try and take up residence.  We may think he is only in one area of our life but if we aren't careful he will spread to every room of our heart and mind  We know God and His commands.......maybe enough to fight satan off for a while, but if we aren’t walking with God daily there is a good chance that soon those things we once knew are lost to a new “adventure” in our life.  So we take a new path down a road that feels good and we begin to believe the lies that satan has been telling us.  Our ears become deaf to the Spirit's warnings.  We are numb to the sin and no longer feel the pain it causes when we engage in it.  Whether that pain is felt by us or those we love, the pain is dulled and our life continues to travel further away from God and His truth. 

Dear God, as I begin this new year help me to lay out my life before you.  Highlight Your boundaries for my life and show me the things I need to turn away from.  Open my ears to the Spirits warnings and make me aware of my sinful behaviors.  This world is an evil place, and  temptations to sin are everywhere.  But you promise to help me defeat those temptations.  Show me the areas in my life that I have compromised......the things I don't even realize are wrong anymore.  Give me a close friend who is honest and will lovingly help me adjust my behavior to line up with Your will for me.  

In Jesus' Name Amen   

Boundaries Part 3

God still sets boundaries for us today. He gives us the 10 commandments and throughout the books of Leviticus and Deuteronomy God’s people are given clear directives for how to live. The entire New Testament is full of directives and boundaries for holy and righteous living. God’s laws are his way of showing us that he really loves us. He wants the very best for us. But in order to live within God’s boundaries we have to know what they are.

How can a young person stay on the path of purity?  By living according to your word. I seek you with all my heart; do not let me stray from your commands. I have hidden your word within my heart that I might not sin against you. 

Psalm 119:9-11

As a parent you set boundaries for your child out of love and for their protection. When a child begins to walk around, you put up baby gates on the stairs. You close doors and place harmful items out of their reach. As they grow you will start to speak more and more directions to them. You say things like, “You may play in the backyard, but stay within the fenced area.” “Don’t talk to strangers.” or “Keep your hands to yourself.” The more important the direction, the more you state it. If you don’t say it, they won’t know what you expect. If you don’t set boundaries, then your child is constantly in question about what is ok and what isn’t. As a result, trouble occurs.

God works the same way. In Deuteronomy 6:6-9, God gives these instructions for teaching our children his law and his boundaries:

  Write these commandments that I’ve given you today on your hearts. Get them inside of you and then get them    inside your children. Talk about them wherever you are, sitting at home or walking in the street; talk about them from the time you get up in the morning to when you fall into bed at night. Tie them on your hands and foreheads as a reminder; inscribe them on the doorposts of your homes and on your city gates.

We must know God’s boundaries and talk about them openly with our children. Time and Again! Friends, if we are not in daily study of God’s word. If we are not living within His boundaries and telling our children that we make our choices based on God’s word, and setting very intentional real-life boundaries for them then we are not really loving them. We are giving them less than God’s best. 

Sure children push boundaries. They rebel against our guidance at times. But its worth the resistance that we must face in order to show our children how much they are really loved. They will feel safe and secure. 

As a result of living within our boundaries they will be able to set personal boundaries. If we fail to set boundaries that they must live within in their physical world, then they will not be able to live within the boundaries of an invisible God. 

Perhaps you, like me, have broken boundaries in the past. Maybe you’ve failed to teach your children to live within personal boundaries. Confess, seek guidance, and start anew. It’s a new year and an opportunity to start over! 

Boundaries Part 2

Part 2:

Throughout the books of Genesis and Exodus God is calling his creation to himself. He is revealing who he is and what he wants to do for his children. He calls a group of people, the Israelites, to himself through Abraham. He begins by promising them a land of their own. A land separate for his holy ones.

“The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you. “I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you.” Genesis 12:1-3

Abram packed up his family and headed out in faith to this new land. This promised land was the land of Canaan. As the family grew to a nation, Moses was chosen by God to lead them.

“The Lord said to Moses, “Command the Israelites and say to them, “When you enter Canaan, the land that will be allotted to you as an inheritance is to have these boundaries:” Numbers 34:1-2

Canaan was set within boundaries. God was very clear about them too. They look like this: 

“‘Your southern side will include some of the Desert of Zin along the border of Edom. Your southern boundary will start in the east from the southern end of the Dead Sea, cross south of Scorpion Pass, continue on to Zin and go south of Kadesh Barnea. Then it will go to Hazar Addar and over to Azmon, where it will turn, join the Wadi of Egypt and end at the Mediterranean Sea.

 “‘Your western boundary will be the coast of the Mediterranean Sea. This will be your boundary on the west.” 

‘For your northern boundary, run a line from the Mediterranean Sea to Mount Hor and from Mount Hor to Lebo Hamath. Then the boundary will go to Zedad, continue to Ziphron and end at Hazar Enan. This will be your boundary on the north.

“‘For your eastern boundary, run a line from Hazar Enan to Shepham. The boundary will go down from Shepham to Riblah on the east side of Ain and continue along the slopes east of the Sea of Galilee. Then the boundary will go down along the Jordan and end at the Dead Sea.

“‘This will be your land, with its boundaries on every side.’” Numbers 34:3-12

Why does God give boundaries? Why was he so specific in setting the details of the boundaries? He gives boundaries because he loves us. He wants to protect us and have us receive the very best that he has to offer. His boundaries are given to ensure that we are safe. Originally, Canaan was a nation of ungodliness. They were a corrupt nation that served pagan gods and practiced immoral acts. The countries that bordered this nation were no better. When his people took possession of the land, God wanted them to have a safe haven.

Boundaries are a blessing from God. 

Boundaries Part 1

Over the next few days we will take a look at boundaries. Boundaries are given to us by God. They can be evidenced since the beginning of time. Read Genesis 1:1-2:3. Then read this summary of how God created order and boundaries for the world he loved. 

Genesis 1:1, “Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters.” Formless and empty. God could have left the world in such a state, but he created form, order, and boundaries. 

Day 1: He separated light and dark. They cannot mix. Each has it’s own boundary. Go ahead, try it! Go to the closet and take a flashlight. When the light turns on darkness makes an outside boundary!

Day 2: He gave the sky and the earth separation. The two can only come together as close as the horizon. Then one ends and another begins. 

Day 3: He gave water boundaries by surrounding it with land. He created vegetation within the categories and kinds.

Day 4: He ordered the seasons and created the years. Time has boundaries. He made the sun and moon to further separate boundaries for day and night.

Day 5: God created sea animals within water habitats. Sea animals were set within a boundary of water.They were created in classifications and kinds. 

Day 6: God made land animals to live within the boundaries of the land. He again created them in categories and kinds, giving structure and order. On the same day He created man and woman. Two distinct creatures and set them within the boundaries of Eden.

Day 7: All was in place. Order had been given where once formless, empty space had reigned. Boundaries for all things, living and non-living were in place. The world was set in order. God was pleased, and He rested.

From the very beginning God has set boundaries for Holy living and righteousness. But, because “all have sinned and fall short of God,” (Romans 3:23) boundaries have been broken and consequences have ensued. Because of their sin, Adam and Eve had to leave the garden of Eden. As we will see over the next few days, God is faithful to set boundaries and humans continue to break them.