Obedience=Promise!

Saturday, July 23rd, 2011

Today's Passage: Isaiah 54
Memory Verse: Isaiah 54:17

Since we were kids, we've developed countless images and ideas of who God is and what He's like in our minds. What we didn't imagine ourselves, stories from preachers, Sunday school teachers, and family members taught us. Depending on the background, one can grow up thinking God is this angry King sitting on a throne waiting to judge all of us. And if you ever do one thing wrong, He'll curse you for life.

The children of Israel must have felt this way for a long time. Because of their disobedience, God seemed to always be "teaching" them His way was the only way. Now God's teaching often came by way of Egyptian or Babylonian captivity, or a season of hunger in the wilderness. That's why it seemed He was always mad at them. Does it seem like God's mad at you? Are you in a place where He needs to hold you down in order to get your attention? You see, God is not a man that He should lie, nor will He ever have to repent. In that, if He has need of you, He'll break you down to get to you before you make Him out to be a liar. Anyway, to avoid all that, just be obedient. If you stay on the Potter's wheel, you'll be okay. Now, for those of us whose heads are a little harder than that, grace has come to get you where you need to be. The first thing you must do is believe that there is no condition God can't reverse. We acknowledge there are things we have brought upon ourselves, but God can redeem us from those things if we believe and follow Him completely. Isaiah 54:1 says "Sing, barren woman, who has never had a baby. Fill the air with song, you who've never experienced childbirth! You're ending up with far more children than all those childbearing women. God says so." How awesome is that? That verse tells us that God has a promise to restore His people. The devil has a way of making us think that our lives are over because of a few bad decisions here and there. But he doesn't have the authority to write the last chapter of our books. God has that authority. And He says no matter where you are or what you've done, He has a promise of redemption and restoration waiting for your first act of obedience. Thank You, God!!!!

Because you are "the promised" of God, the enemy has weapons that are designed to keep us away from God. God categorizes these weapons as the works of the flesh. If we aren't careful, these works can infiltrate our lives and cause division between us and God. But be of good cheer my friends, because verse 17 of today's passage says: "No weapon formed against us will prosper, and every tongue that rises against us will be condemned." Did you get that? NO WEAPON!!! Rest assured that God wants you on His side. His desire is that all will be saved and none be lost. So, let's make sure we're doing our part by walking in His ways. Let's remember if we're obedient, we'll have His promises. And I don't know about you, but I want what's been promised to me. Be Blessed!

Prayer: Father, I thank You for the opportunity to receive Your promises. Things that have been closed in my life and refused to me, You are opening. You are releasing things to me that I never thought I'd have access to. For that, I am grateful. I choose now to follow You. You take the lead. There'll be no more of my will, only Your will, in Jesus' name. Amen.