Post by Les Brewer on Apr 23, 2012 9:04:56 GMT
John Wolf
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified...I Cor.1:18-25
From the Pastor's desk...
Hi to all my family and friends on this beautiful day that the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
I suppose that for every child of God there comes a time at least once,if not more,when they do not feel the presence of God.It's as if He withdraws a short distance and watches us to see what we will do.As parents we often allow our small children to walk ahead of us at times,and to stretch their wings,so to speak.The child knows the parent is there,but they also know they have gone a distance from them,and their immediate presence is not there.
In all my years of searching the Scriptures,never has God ever left me,it's always been those times when I've wandered away from Him,and realized His immediate presence could not be felt.Jesus made us a promise that He would never leave us or forsake us.He never said that we couldn't wander from Him,though.
To feel the presence of God in our lives is truly a feeling that can not be described,however,what does it mean when you do not necessarily feel Him there with you? Does this mean that you have backslidden and need to repent? Maybe....but not necessarily.
I remember the story of Job.One day he woke up and had everything he could imagine at his fingertips;health,wealth and happiness and before nightfall,he had lost almost everything.The one thing that Job didn't lose though,was his faith in God.
There will be times in our lives when,I believe,God withdraws His presence in our lives for a short time,but never leaves us.Could those times be to allow us time to realize just how much we need Him every day? The one thing that I've come to know and trust over the years is that,as a child of God,we must learn to always walk by faith,and never walk by sight.
This is where knowing and memorizing Scripture has come in to help me get through those tough times,when I don't feel the Lord there all the time.The word of God will give us the re-assurance we need during those times when we need it most.Just as surely as you begin to take a step of faith in the direction that the Lord wants you to go,you can be assured of the interference of the evil one.Satan hates anything and anyone who wills to do the will of God,because he knows that souls will be affected for the kingdom of God in a positive way.
But,now,it comes to my memory the verse that says,"we are more than conquerors,through Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us." All I can say is Hallelujah! It is amazing to me that just as I'm speaking to you about walking by faith,the Lord brings to my thoughts that,WE ARE more than conquerors.My dear friends,we can trust the Lord with our lives,He knows exactly what we need and exactly when to give it,in order that we will walk in His love and grace.
Walking by sight and feelings is really a let down most of the time.But walking by faith will always be an uplifting thing,for when God provides or answers prayer,it builds your faith even more to believe Him for bigger and better things.Let the storms of life rage and the waves of life roll,that is when the Lord will bid you to walk on the waves with Him.Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus and placed them on the circumstances,waves if you will,that were raging.
I think the Lord is bidding me to walk with Him on some waves,So,surfs up! I'm going to walk on some waves with my Lord.Come on in, the water's fine!!!!.....I hope this has been an encouragement to someone today.......God bless you and have a great day at the beach......JW
Calvary's Cross Ministries
Preaching Christ Crucified...I Cor.1:18-25
From the Pastor's desk...
Hi to all my family and friends on this beautiful day that the Lord has made.Let us rejoice and be glad in it!
I suppose that for every child of God there comes a time at least once,if not more,when they do not feel the presence of God.It's as if He withdraws a short distance and watches us to see what we will do.As parents we often allow our small children to walk ahead of us at times,and to stretch their wings,so to speak.The child knows the parent is there,but they also know they have gone a distance from them,and their immediate presence is not there.
In all my years of searching the Scriptures,never has God ever left me,it's always been those times when I've wandered away from Him,and realized His immediate presence could not be felt.Jesus made us a promise that He would never leave us or forsake us.He never said that we couldn't wander from Him,though.
To feel the presence of God in our lives is truly a feeling that can not be described,however,what does it mean when you do not necessarily feel Him there with you? Does this mean that you have backslidden and need to repent? Maybe....but not necessarily.
I remember the story of Job.One day he woke up and had everything he could imagine at his fingertips;health,wealth and happiness and before nightfall,he had lost almost everything.The one thing that Job didn't lose though,was his faith in God.
There will be times in our lives when,I believe,God withdraws His presence in our lives for a short time,but never leaves us.Could those times be to allow us time to realize just how much we need Him every day? The one thing that I've come to know and trust over the years is that,as a child of God,we must learn to always walk by faith,and never walk by sight.
This is where knowing and memorizing Scripture has come in to help me get through those tough times,when I don't feel the Lord there all the time.The word of God will give us the re-assurance we need during those times when we need it most.Just as surely as you begin to take a step of faith in the direction that the Lord wants you to go,you can be assured of the interference of the evil one.Satan hates anything and anyone who wills to do the will of God,because he knows that souls will be affected for the kingdom of God in a positive way.
But,now,it comes to my memory the verse that says,"we are more than conquerors,through Christ who loved us and gave Himself for us." All I can say is Hallelujah! It is amazing to me that just as I'm speaking to you about walking by faith,the Lord brings to my thoughts that,WE ARE more than conquerors.My dear friends,we can trust the Lord with our lives,He knows exactly what we need and exactly when to give it,in order that we will walk in His love and grace.
Walking by sight and feelings is really a let down most of the time.But walking by faith will always be an uplifting thing,for when God provides or answers prayer,it builds your faith even more to believe Him for bigger and better things.Let the storms of life rage and the waves of life roll,that is when the Lord will bid you to walk on the waves with Him.Peter began to sink when he took his eyes off of Jesus and placed them on the circumstances,waves if you will,that were raging.
I think the Lord is bidding me to walk with Him on some waves,So,surfs up! I'm going to walk on some waves with my Lord.Come on in, the water's fine!!!!.....I hope this has been an encouragement to someone today.......God bless you and have a great day at the beach......JW
