Brown's Daily Word 5-29-08

Good morning,
In our Wednesday Evening meetings we have been studying a book by John Ortberg, "If You Want to Walk on Water, You've Got to Get Out of the Boat". It is about moving beyond our comfort zone. It is about risking, trusting, and walking by faith.
George Muller said, “Faith does not operate in the realm of the possible. There is no glory for God in that which is humanly possible. Faith begins where man’s power ends.” 2 Chronicles 16:9 reads, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” The Lord is searching for the faithful. God is seeking those who realize that faith begins where man’s power ends – those who realize that God is bigger than mere human beings and man’s limited wisdom, and who walk in obedience. This message addresses the correspondence between faith and obedience.
Alexander Maclaren stated, “Unbelief is the mother of . . . disobedience. Faith is voluntary submission [to God] . . . If faith is not exercised . . . it lies in the . . . pride of independence, which says, ‘Who is Lord over us? Why should we have to depend on Jesus Christ?’ As faith is obedience and submission, so faith breeds obedience, but unbelief leads on to higher-handed rebellion . . . the less one trusts, the more he disobeys; the more he disobeys, the less he trusts.”
We must come to see that if we are walking in disobedience to God it is because we have a faith problem and we trust in ourselves, or in man’s help, over God’s help. God really wants to show us that he is strong on our behalf – that he really wants to work through us; but that he will only work through those who are obedient and faithful. Relying on God first and foremost leads to victory, and the Lord desires to fight for us! There is a good example of this principle found in 2 Chronicles 20. Moab and Ammon came against Judah and its King Jehoshaphat, and the Scripture records Jehoshaphat’s response. When he realized what he was up against he cried out, “O our God, will You not judge them? For we have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You” (v. 12). King Jehoshaphat basically declared, “This is not humanly possibly; however all things are possible with God! My hope and my trust are in you Lord!” And in response God said, “You will not need to fight in this battle. Position yourselves, stand still and see the salvation of the LORD, who is with you, O Judah and Jerusalem!” (v. 17). Jehoshaphat and all Judah responded by worshipping the Lord (v. 18), and in worship their entire focus and attention, and all of their hope was in the Lord. Instead of fearfully and reluctantly walking into battle, Judah marched confidently, while singing praises to God, and the Scripture declares, “Now when they began to sing and to praise, the LORD set ambushes against the people of Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir, who had come against Judah; and they were defeated.” (v. 22). Whenever we rely on God over human ingenuity, and place our confidence in him, then the Lord will fight for us, and win the battle for us! II Chronicles 20:9 declares, “For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to show Himself strong on behalf of those whose heart is loyal to Him.” God searches for those whose hearts are “loyal” to him. “God searches for the ‘faithful’.” In Psalm 12:1 we read that the faithful man is one who is “godly.” In Psalm 101:6 a faithful person is “he who walks in a perfect way.” In Micah 7:2 the faithful man is one who is “upright,” or does that which is right. In Luke 19:17 we get the idea that a faithful person is someone who makes good use of even the smallest resources given by the Lord; and related to that, in 1 Corinthians 4:2 a faithful person is a good steward. In Revelation 2:10 a faithful follower is one who remains strong even in the face of persecution and death. In summary, a loyal and faithful person is one who makes sure that God comes first in his life, who honors the Lord in all he does, and who will be sold out and a die hard follower of God and seek to be obedient, and seek God’s guidance and strength to help him in any task or effort commanded by the Lord.
Henry Blackaby said that the Lord likes to give us “God-sized” tasks, or assignments that are too big for us to do in our own strength. God does this so we will rely on him, and so that he receives all the glory in the end. Being obedient to what God asks of us, and making sure that he is our source of strength will enable the Lord to fight on our behalf, and to “show Himself strong” – or to bring glory to himself. God will show himself strong through those who lean wholly on him for their strength. If we ask God for help, he will answer us in order to show the world that he is a faithful and powerful God. Jesus stated in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” God wants to be shown strong – he wants to be glorified!
In Christ,
Brown