ABANDONMENT AND OBEDIENCE TO GOD BRINGS BLESSING

ABANDONMENT AND OBEDIENCE

TO GOD BRINGS BLESSING

By Dwight Cunkle

Fearing and Loving God I can put persons and things I love on the altar of the "God Who Provides"

Here is the exact quote that someone I referenced in my sermon on Sunday heard God impressing on her when she was trying to release her children into God's hands:   He said, "I will be as gentle as possible and as firm as necessary."

It reminds me of Gen 22, where Abraham is commanded by God to sacrifice his only son whom he loves. In faith (trusting God) Abraham says, "The lad and I will worship then return." This is the first occurrence of the words worship and love in the Bible, and they come in the context of the only time God speaks of offering the firstborn as a whole burnt offering (except his own son). At the last moment while Abraham is obeying, Yahweh  interrupts him, affirms his fear of the Lord, confirms him and his future generations in covenant blessing, and shows him a ram stuck in the thicket to be a substitutionary sacrifice instead of Isaac.  

Abraham named that place, "The Lord Will Provide" (Yahweh Jireh). What would have happened if Abraham had not feared the Lord and trusted Yahweh enough to obey HIm? Is there anything or anyone we are clinging to or trying to protect from what may be God's will? Perhaps there are areas of blessing not seen yet, waiting for us to place what and/or whom we love on the altar before "The God Who Provides." 

BE AWARE, UNDERSTAND, TAKE ACTION

BE AWARE, UNDERSTAND, TAKE ACTION

By Dwight Cunkle

When a person decides to know; love God and do his will they experience both resistance and help. Discerning the enemy’s tactics help us resist him and go further on with Jesus.

Examples of enemy resistance from the world, flesh and devil include the following:

-Unsettling anxieties, diminishing peace
- Diminishing energy and strength to do the good
-Sadness and discouragement without knowing why
-Dullness, hardness or lack of motivation to pray, lack of interest in spiritual life, losing heart
-Obstacles and difficulties in daily life and temptations which add up to come against us with negative self-talk; “How can I continue to do good?” or, “Look what you are giving up or won’t be able to do.”
-False reasonings bring confusion, hopelessness, failure: “It’s my fault that I am not better because I should be”
-Feelings of division, unresolved hurts, critical spirit, judgments, negative interpretations of what others think, loneliness or feelings of being misunderstood.
-Fears: of failure, of rejection, of the devil or more resistance, or even fear of success and the responsibility



Examples of how God’s grace and good spirits help us overcome: 

-Experience God’s love uplifting us in faith, hope, joy, peace (even if only briefly)
-Courage to face the enemy’s resistance and continue God’s will
-Strength of God’s love lifting the heart
-Consolations of God’s love giving a new ease and increase in love for others which also uplifts us
-Tears of comfort from the movement of God’s love and closeness or overwhelming gratitude for his love in Jesus
-Inspirations, illuminations and spiritual clarity to see and overcome confusion
-Quiet Strength and peace of heart even in activity
-Grace removes obstacles, inspires an gives hope
-Faith and joy uprising in the midst of the enemy’s taunts

Go further on with the resurrected Christ and resist

the desolations of our enemy whom he has defeated.

The Forerunner

The Forerunner

He will turn the hearts of fathers to children, and the

disobedient, the incredulous, and unpersuadable to the knowledge and holy love of the will of God, to make ready a people for the Lord [perfectly] prepared [in spirit, adjusted and disposed and placed in the right moral state].

(Mal 4:5-6, Is 40:3 and Luke 1:17 AMP)

    This week read how John came preparing the way of the Lord.  Pray the fulfillment of this amazing promise above—the turning of hearts of fathers and children and unbelieving, in preparation for His second coming.  WOW!  What a prayer to pray!
    Who do you need to speak that promise over?  Does your heart need turned toward your children or toward your parents?  Are you praying for a prodigal?  Look how John
fulfilled the prophecies about him, and let your faith and hope be encouraged this week!

Who:  Elijah must come first.  Mal 4:5-6 & Lk 1:17, 76-79

About his birth:  filled with the Spirit in the womb.  Lk 1:15 & 41

What will he be like:
    - A hairy man with leather belt:  2 Kings 1:8 & Matt 3:4
   
    - Eating locusts:  Lev 11:22 & Mt 3:4

    - Where from:  the wilderness.  Is 40:3 & Lk 1:80 & 3:2

What message:  Repent for the kingdom of God is coming.
    Lk 3:7-14; 7:27

Messiah will purify with fire:  Mal 3:1-2, 4:1-2; & Lk 3:16-17

So that:  the glory of the Lord be revealed.  Is 40:5 & Jn 1:14

The end of the old and the coming of the kingdom:  “No prophet greater than John but the least in the kingdom is greater than him”  Luke 7:28

The Five Challenges of Self-Sacrifice

I want to love God with all my mind, soul and strength and love others as myself. I want to have a personal daily altar to God. I want to replace the perverse altars and idolatry of ideas that enable evil to influence our lives and those around us.

The five challenges of self-sacrifice from two weeks ago can be generally linked with worldview statements as follows:

1. An atheist doesn’t pray (even in a foxhole) because the naturalistic or secular humanist worldview holds no hope in God.

2. A “cosmic humanist” doesn’t read the Bible as the Word of God to direct their belief and practice.

3. A Satanist does not submit to Jesus Christ as King therefore will not submit to authority of the Scripture nor to God’s authority in the church as a disciple of Christ in a small group.

4. A strict existentialist does not commit to regular small group relationships nor order their life to serve others in the body of Christ at all because life is about their own experience not a shared membership in covenant with others.

5. A moral relativist embraces the worldly ideal of poly-theism and reasons to himself that there is equal plurality of all beliefs. Since there “absolutely are no absolutes” he can not be held accountable for any belief or action. This leaves him open to hedonism or complete self-indulgence the same as a Satanist.

Since I am not an atheist, humanist, existentialist, Satanist nor a moral relativist I will commit to self-denial and sacrifice to hear and obey God. In order to learn God’s ways I will include the following in my daily life:

1. I will pray with the mind and pray with the spirit.
1 Cor 14:15; John 4:23-24; Rom 8:26-27; Jude 20 .

2. I will present my body, remove negativity and receive God’s Word to renew my mind.
Deut 6; Joshua 1:6; Psalm 1; Psalm 19; John 15; Rom 12:1-2; 1 Pet 2:1.

3. I will be in committed relationships for discipleship and fellowship.
Acts 2:42-46.

4. Through love I will serve others as a covenant relationships.
Gal 5:13; Eph 4:11-16.

5. I will get out of my comfort zone and be on mission because we as Christ’s Body are “God’s net.” (all four Gospels and Acts include Christ’s command and commission).

(The last two also include the sacrifice of regular and generous giving.)

~PD