God told me to share my faith on Fridays and call it Fuel For The Weekend. It's my desire that the posts I put up on Fridays will give you something to think about, ponder, consider, and reflect on throughout the weekend.
I would like to talk about how we can be sure we heard God even when others doubt. God has a plan for our lives. He tells us that repeatedly in the Scriptures. He has a plan for everyone's life, including His only begotten Son, Jesus. Often we think of Jesus as a little baby in a manger. We find it hard to believe that a great and merciful God would plan for Jesus to die the cruel death of crucifixion. If we think in the natural, we can understand someone questioning that. Jesus was more than a good man. He was God's own Son and so we cannot think logically, we have to think about God's plan supernaturally. The Bible is very clear on what God's plan was for Jesus. Let's look:
ISAIAH 9:6-7 (6)For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government shall be upon His shoulder: and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (7)Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.
MATTHEW 1:21 And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name JESUS: for He shall save His people from their sins.
ACTS 4:12 Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.
ACTS 5:30-32 (30)The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. (31)Him hath God exalted with His right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentance to Israel, and forgiveness of sins. (32)And we are His witnesses of those things; and so is also the Holy Ghost, whom God hath given to them that obey Him.
2 CORINTHIANS 5:20-21 (20)Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead (behalf), be ye reconciled to God. (21)For He hath made Him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him.
JOHN 1:1-4 (1)In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. (2)The same was in the beginning with God. (3)All things were made by Him; and without Him was not any thing made that was made. (4)In Him was life; and the life was the light of men.
JOHN 3:16-17 (16)For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have eternal life. (17)For God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world: but that the world through Him might be saved.
JOHN 17:3-5 (3)And this is life eternal that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, Whom Thou hast sent. (4)I have glorified Thee on the earth: I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do. (5)And now, O Father, glorify Thou Me with Thine own self with the glory which I had with Thee before the world was.
REVELATION 22:1-7 (1)And He shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb. (2)In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations. (3)And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: (4)And they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. (5)And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever. (6)And He said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the Holy prophets sent His angel to shew unto His servants the things which must shortly be done. (7)Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of this book.
It is clear from today's reading that God's plan was to redeem fallen man by sending His pure and Holy Son Jesus to die for our sins. He has a place prepared for us and He is going to bring His people Home one day. Yes, the crucifixion was an unimaginable horrific sacrifice for you and for me, but it was needed. We would all be lost in sin and would be separated from God for all of eternity if Jesus didn't do that. All we have to do is believe that He did that. He did the very hard part.
The devil hates God and he hates God's people. He hates everyone! There is no love in him. He wants to confuse us of our purpose because he knows if he can get us distracted we can be tempted to go away from God's plan and step into his deception. Please understand it is important to know his tricks so we can be watching. He has no new tricks. He uses the "You sure?" tactic. He used it on Eve in the garden of Eden and he used it on Jesus in the wilderness. He still uses that tactic on us today because often it works. We get confused and discouraged and we give up. Let's look at what happened in Eden and again in the wilderness. We have to follow Jesus's example of how to handle the questions the devil plants in our minds.
GENESIS 2:16-17 (16)And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: (17)But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die.
GENESIS 3:1-6 (1)Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? (2)And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: (3)But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. (4)And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: (5)For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil. (6)And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also to her husband with her; and he did eat.
GENESIS 3:21-24 (21)Unto Adam also and to his wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them. (22)And the LORD God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: (23)Therefore the LORD God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from when he was taken. (24)So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.
MATTHEW 4:1-11 (1)Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. (2)And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, He was afterward an hungered. (3)And when the tempter came to Him, he said, If Thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. (4)But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. (5)Then the devil taketh Him up into the Holy city, and setteth Him on a pinnacle of the temple. (6)And saith unto Him, If Thou be the Son of God, cast Thyself down: for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee: and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone. (7)Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. (8)Again, the devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; (9)And saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me. (10)Then saith Jesus unto him, Get thee hence, Satan, for it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve. (11)Then the devil leaveth Him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto Him.
The devil questioned Eve in the garden. He twisted the words of God and asked if God really told her not to eat the fruit of any tree. God was very specific that they could eat of any tree in the garden as much as they desired except they could not eat of the tree in the middle of the garden. She listened to him and got confused and mixed up and then the deception began. He started to lure her in by promising she would have wisdom and be like God. He didn't mention that eating the fruit would be in disobedience to God which is sin which leads to death. He conveniently left that part out.
The devil questioned Jesus. He wanted to make Him question His identity. He kept saying "If you're really the Son of God..." He does the same thing to us. We are not exempt from this tactic. He wants to get in our minds and bind it up so we cannot think clearly. We forget what God told us as we listen to his lies and deceit we are tempted to stray from the path God put us on. We must not listen. Jesus fought the devil with the Word of God every single time. It is written. It is written. It is written. Do you hear the swish of the sword as He hit the devil again and again and again.
The devil will use people you care about to make you doubt. He will use your friends, your family, your pastor! He will use anyone he can to make you question if what you know you heard from God is really what God said. This happened to us when we were moving to Alabama. It sounded crazy to leave everything we knew and leave it behind. We left family and friends, a church we served faithfully in, and jobs we were promoted in. Our children left friends and family and schools. We went to a part of the country we never knew before. It was 16 months of God's plan unfolding before our eyes and He took us on a journey to change us. It's extraordinary what He did in that time frame. Yet, before we left we had people laughing at us, telling us we were crazy, that God doesn't talk to people anymore, and that we didn't hear God say that. They accused us of being irresponsible and selfish. Some even said they were praying against us that God would stop us from moving!
God will use people too. Even though we were fought hard, we knew God had told us to move, because it was definitely NOT our idea! God gave us great friends in the church and some of our family members who were encouraging, quick to pray for us and with us, and even blessed us financially and other ways to make the journey easier. I will never forget them and their kindness and I hold them dear in my heart.
We were questioned by some of those same people who didn't want us to go to Alabama when God lead us back to Indiana. He gave us a purpose of why we were to come back and what we must do. Just like the devil again tried to plant seeds of doubt in our mind through others who asked, "Are you sure you heard God? I thought God told you to go to Alabama. You better ask God what you did to deserve coming back here!" But God uses people, too, and He allowed us to have praying family and friends who were encouraging and kind and supportive; who gave us provision and prayers for the journey back and it was so amazing how much He has done for us since moving back, which was NOT our idea!
So now we know that God had a plan for His own Son, Jesus. We know He has a plan for us. We may even know some of the things God wants to do with our lives right now and maybe like Joseph we share those dreams and we are attacked. We are forsaken by our family and friends. They don't believe God talks to people anymore. They think you are a fanatic or have lost your mind. They question if you are sure you heard from God. So what can we do? How can we be sure we have heard from God?
There are those who desire to do something for God so much that they get ahead of His timing and His plan and then disaster happens! Then they question if God ever told them to do anything. The devil is quick to pour seeds of doubt and confusion into our minds and before long we give up and quit doing anything for God. Please know that there is a perfect time and season for everything. We must wait for God's direction.
We can be sure we heard from God when we read what the Bible says is God's plans and thoughts for us. We pray and ask God to show us what He wants us to do. Then we get quiet as we listen for His voice, read His Word, and obey what we have been told.
PSALMS 139:17-18 (17)How precious also are Thy thoughts unto me, O God! how great is the sum of them! (18)If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand: when I awake, I am still with Thee.
JEREMIAH 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.
When we pray to Him, He hears and answers us. He wants to talk to His children. He enjoys hearing from us and He has a lot to say to us, too. Prayer is powerful because it prevents us from being tempted by the enemy. We are to lift our hands in sweet surrender to our Lord and Savior. We have to let go of anger and doubt because it does not please God. Sometimes we have to wait when we pray but we know He listens and hears our prayers.
JEREMIAH 29:12-13 (12)Then shall ye call upon Me, and ye shall go and pray unto Me, and I will hearken unto you. (13)And ye shall seek Me, and find Me, when ye shall search for Me with all your heart.
LUKE 22:46 And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation.
1 TIMOTHY 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up Holy hands, without wrath and doubting.
PSALMS 40:1 I waited patiently for the LORD; and He inclined unto me, and heard my cry.
Let's ask God what He wants to do in us and through us. If we need wisdom, all we have to do is ask the giver of wisdom and He will generously give it to us. When we ask, we must have faith and not doubt because we won't get anything from God if we do not trust He will provide. We need to ask Him to check our hearts and motives. Are we lining up our will with God's or are we asking Him to change His plans for us and follow where we lead? It is best to surrender to His will and His plan because He sees the end from the beginning. He wants to bless us and give us good things. He is a wonderful Father and He only wants to give His best to His children. Have we poured His Word into our hearts? Does His Word abide within us? Are we abiding in the True Vine? Are we seeking God's approval, or are we wanting His permission to do our own will? We can ask what we want from God and will get it when we have God's Holy Word in our hearts and allow it to guide our decisions.
JAMES 1:5-7 (5)If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (6)But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. (7)For let not that man think that he shall receive anything of the Lord.
PSALMS 139:23-24 (23)Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: (24)And see if there by any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.
MATTHEW 7:7-11 (7)Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (8)For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and he that knocketh it shall be opened. (9)Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? (10)Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? (11)If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him?
JOHN 15:7 If ye abide in Me, and My Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
We must listen for God to answer us. Do not believe the lie that God does not talk to His people anymore. Of course He does! He does not change. He communicates with His children and He is our good Shepherd. We know His voice and another we will not follow. He tells us to call upon His name and He will answer us. It is very plain to see that He wants to tell us things, answer our questions, and give us insight for the plans He has for our lives.
ISAIAH 30:21 And thine ears shall hear a word behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it, when ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the left.
JEREMIAH 33:3 Call unto Me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
In the book of Ephesians we are told that our spiritual sword is the Word of God. If we want to sharpen our swords, we must study God's Word. We cannot let someone else read it for us, or tell us what it says, because they could get it wrong. We need to study ourselves and learn and grow in the Spirit by feasting on God's Word. We cannot survive on natural food in the Spiritual realm. We must feed our Spirit God's Word. Open the book and devour it yourself. It is so good!
JOHN 8:31-32 (31)Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; (32)And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
2 TIMOTHY 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the Word of truth.
MATTHEW 4:4 But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.
JOSHUA 1:8 This book of the law shall not depart out of thy mouth; but thou shalt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou shalt make thy way prosperous, and then thou shalt have good success.
We can be sure we heard from God when we recognize He has a plan for our lives. He thinks about us and plans things, experiences, and opportunities to help us grow and mature into the man or woman of God He designed us to be. And once we recognize that He has enabled us with gifts and talents that align with His purpose and plan for us, we can then pray and ask God to help us use those gifts in a way to honor Him. It isn't about getting the accolades and the high-fives of this world. We must look to God for His approval. When we become still we can hear His voice, as we remember what His Word says, and we start behaving in a way to obey Him, we will be blessed and walk in the fullness of our purpose.
ROMANS 12:1-2 (1)I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. (2)And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of God.
PROVERBS 16:3 Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
JAMES 1:22-25 (22)But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves. (23)For if any be a hearer of the word, and not a doer, he is like unto a man beholding his natural face in a glass: (24)For he beholdeth himself, and goeth his way, and straightway forgetteth what manner of man he was. (25)But who looketh into the perfect law of liberty, and continueth therein, he being not a forgetful hearer, but a doer of the work, this man shall be blessed in his deed.
Don't listen to anyone tell you that God has stopped talking to His people. It is a shame more of us are not seeking Him and listening for His still, small voice. As we put these things into daily practice we can be sure we heard God's voice and no one can tell us otherwise. No well-meaning friend or family member, no doubting spouse or significant other; and definitely not our enemy can discourage us from following after God if we remain faithful to our King Jesus. I pray that you are encouraged and strengthened as you seek out His purpose for your life. Trust and believe He has big and exciting plans for you and He wants to tell you about it!
I know this was a lot to unpack. I hope it is something you can take the time to study more on your own over the weekend. Take your time looking up these verses and others as Holy Spirit leads you. Do not get discouraged. You can know for sure that Your Heavenly Father is speaking life over you and to you! God bless you!
~Bridgett Owens
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