Times When To Go Closer to God (Part 1)
By: Richard Mirpuri
If you’re drawing breath on planet earth…therewill comemoments…times of adversitywhen youwonderwhat to do next. In thesemoments…your solacewill not be found at the localwatering hole commiseratingwith someone as lost as a goose in a blizzard. Your answer will not be found in extended conversations with friends about why it’s unfair you have to deal with these situations.When trouble strikes and it will…here are seven timeswe need to go deeper in theWord and pull closer toGod.
1. When you’re disappointed
Here’s thegreatnews. . .regardlessof the intensityof the enemy’s attack. . .youwillnever be put to shame or disappointed. I realize that’s a bold statement. . . but there are eight verses in theAmplifiedBible translationwhich say exactly that. Here are three of them. Psalm25:3 in theAmplifiedBible says: “Yes, let nonewho trust andwait hopefully and look forYou be put to shame or be disappointed; let thembe ashamedwho forsake the right or deal treacherouslywithout cause.” Psalm25:20 in theAmplified Bible says: “Okeepme, Lord, and deliverme; letme not be ashamed or disappointed, formy trust andmy refuge are inYou.” Romans 9:33 in theAmplified Bible says:“As it is written, Behold I amlaying in Zion a Stone thatwillmakemen stumble, a Rock thatwillmake themfall; but hewho believes inHim[who adheres to, trusts in, and relies onHim] shall not be put to shame nor be disappointed in his expectations.”
I particularly like the last versewhich says thatwe shall not be put to shame or disappointed in our expectations.The longer I live, themore I’mconvinced that every adversity we face is a test.Yes, a test to see if we are going to throw up our hands and quit…or dowhatGod said and claimthe very promiseswe just read.AsChristians… we either believeGod…orwe don’t! Jeremiah 29:13 in theMessage Bible says: “When you come looking forme, you’ll findme. “Yes,when you get serious about findingme and want itmore than anything else, I’llmake sure you won’t be disappointed.” God’s Decree. “I’ll turn things around for you. I’ll bring you back fromall the countries into which I drove you”—God’s Decree—”bring you home to the place from which I sent you off into exile.You can count on it.”
God is going to make sure you’re not disappointed…if you hold steadfastly ontoHisWord. Not only that,Hewill reward you forwhat you’ve been through. Proverbs 23:18 in theNewLivingTranslation says: “Youwill be rewarded for this; your hopewill not be disappointed.”
2. “When you’re afraid”
The scripture tells us 26 times in theKing JamesVersion of the Bible to “be not afraid.” There are 44 verses in theMessage Bible that say “Don’t be afraid” and 66 verses in theNewLiving Translationwith the exact same scriptural directive for us. You don’t have to be afraid for a number of reasons. One reason is because you’re not the one fighting the battle.But another is because the devil is nomatch for theOnewho is on your side. 2 Chronicles 20:15 says:“. . . Thus saith the LORD unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s.”You don’t have to be afraid ofwhat you see.You don’t have to be afraid ofwhat you’ve heard. 2Kings 19:6 says: “. . .Be not afraid of thewordswhich thou hast heard. Isaiah 37:6 says: “. . . Thus saith the LORD, Be not afraid of the words that thou hast heard.” There is only one thing to do you’re afraid. It’s to believe theWord ofGod. Mark 5:36 says: “. . . Be not afraid, only believe.”And truthfully, you are rewarded for not being afraid. Genesis 15:1 in the Message Bible says: “After all these things, this word ofGod came toAbramin a vision: “Don’t be afraid,Abram. I’myour shield.Your rewardwill be grand!”
3. When you don’t knowwhat to do
When you’re not sure what to do next take comfort in knowing that He always does. Not only that, He wants to tell you what to do.And you don’t have to be some super saint to get themessage. Simple, childlike faith is all it takes.As amatter of fact one of our biggest problems iswe try to overthink itwhen hearingHimspeak. Proverbs 3:5-6 in theMessageBible says: “TrustGod fromthe bottomof your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own. Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.” If you’re in the midst of a storm or financial firefight and you don’t knowwhat to do next “. . . don’t try to figure it out on your own” If you’re trying to figure things out. . .to solve your problems by yourself. . .then you don’t needGod.
Simply said, only one of you will be working on and through the problem, situation or attack . . . that’s either you orHim.As the verse says, youmust “. . .listen for God’s voice in everything you do. . .”The reason you listen forHis voice . . . is because He’s the one that will “. . .keep you on track.” How do you listen for His voice?When theproblemcomesupinyourmind,keepcommittingit toHimandsoonsomethingwill ‘come to you’about howto handle it…if the idea persists and it lines upwith theWord, you have your answer.Onemore scripture Isaiah 48:17 says:“Thus saith theLORD, thy Redeemer, theHolyOne of Israel; I amtheLORDthyGodwhich teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou shouldest go.” Not only should you quitworrying and listen for His voice. . .but realize He’s the only One who will teach you to profit in every situation. According to Strong’s Concordance the word profit is the Hebrew word ya`al (H3276) which means to: “gain, benefit, profit.” Child of God, be encouraged when you follow His divine direction. He will sustain you through every attack and even cause you to “gain, benefit and profit” from the attacks of the enemy. But the key is to follow His direction. We must understand and obey the words found in Isaiah 48:17 in the Message Bible which says: “I am God, your God, who teaches you how to live right and well. I showyouwhat to do,where to go.” WhenHe showsuswhat todo. . .we need to do it. Heed the words of Psalm 119:60 in the New Living Translation which says: “I will hurry, without delay, to obey your commands.”
When we follow His instructions. . .we get His approval. Let me say that again…When we followHis instructions. . .we getHis approval. Psalm 90:17 in the New Living Translation says:“And may the Lord our God show us his approval and make our efforts successful. Yes, make our efforts successful!” When we follow His instructions. . .we get His approval. . .and we have the assurance in knowing that we’re on the right track.
4. When you’ve spent every cent you’vegotGodremindedmeofHis biblical solution formistakes of bad judgment. James 5:16 says: “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another,that ye may be healed [the fault removed]….”Whenwe fall into the devil’s trap of purchasing thingswe regret,we become the possessors of what Jesus calls “sycamine trees.” In Luke 17:6 the scripture says:“And the Lord said, if ye had faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye might say unto this sycamine tree, Be thou plucked up by the root, and be thou planted in the sea; and it shall obey you.” I can hear you saying, “Brother Harold, what makes you think my regrettable purchases are like a sycamine tree?” It becomes clearerwhen you see the definition of sycamine in theGreek. It is theword sykaminos (G4807) andmeans “an imitationmulberry tree.” It looks like itwill produce fruit, but produces none.
When you mistakenly spend your hard-earned money for products or services that turn out to be an imitation ofGod’s best for you,my friend you have been sold a sycamine tree! Nomatter howgood of a deal itmay have been at the time, ifGodwasn’t in the purchase, itmay yield misery and discomfort until you are rid of it.If you’ve made a mistake. . .if you’ve transgressed fromfinancialwisdom, then you can take comfort in 1 John 1:9 in theAmplified Bible: “Ifwe [freely] admit thatwe have sinned and confess our sins,He is faithful and just (true toHis own nature and promises) andwill forgive our sins [dismiss our lawlessness] and [continuously] cleanse us fromall unrighteousness [everything not in conformity toHiswill in purpose, thought, and action].”
Now, if you want to make the devil’s day. . .get into self-condemnation or an argumentwith your spouse overmoney. Eitherway, hewins—you lose . . . in those choices. I recommend absolute honesty with your spouse on your financial mistakes. You’ve got to knowthat sooner or later theywill find out. It’s best that your spouse receive the bad news fromyou instead of reading it on a credit card statement.
If you’vemessed up, fess up, get up andmove onwith your life. . .stop looking back. (H.Herring)
