By Wanda Davidson
Psalm 91:14-15 , "Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him."
Title down; ready to write! My brain, however, says, “That title is arrogant!” Noah Webster defines arrogant as “having the disposition to make exorbitant claims of rank; giving one’s self an undue degree of importance.”
But, I am not writing about my abilities; rather, what can be accomplished when I allow God to live through me! I am nothing but a sinner saved by grace. Yet, the Creator of heaven and earth Who is all-knowing wants me to represent Him and accomplish His will on earth. I must be confident in His sufficiency and content to serve Him if I accomplish His will.
In II Timothy 1:9a, Paul tells Timothy, “Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose . . .” The Scripture makes it clear, all who are saved have a holy calling on their life.
God has entrusted us with the Word of life – the only hope for a lost world.
In Genesis 45:8, Joseph told his brothers that had sold him into slavery that it was not them that sent him to Egypt, but God. Joseph had a divine detour with a purpose! Genesis 45:5b, “ . . .for God did send me before you to preserve life.” Joseph’s submission to God’s purpose in His life benefited the Egyptians and the people of Israel, as well as influenced the course of history! Now, God has sent us to make sure that the lost around us hear the gospel. How do we fulfill the purpose God has for our lives?
First of all, to fulfill His purpose, we must stay close to God ourselves. Because we have experienced His great love, we should love Him. If we truly love Him, we will accept His will as our will. If we trust Him and stay close to Him, we will not question Him. A close relationship with God gives us the confidence to serve Him. He knows what is best for us. He is in control. He can be trusted. He may not give answers, but He always gives grace.
Psalm 91:14-15 is God speaking to us. “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him. I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.”
Real biblical faith is us trusting God to do whatever He wants to do through us.
Secondly, we must stay focused. Pastor Randy Barton said, “I am on a quest for Christ!” A quest is an endeavor to reach a goal by any means necessary. No room for half-hearted Christians! We must keep our eyes on the Saviour. The disciples, while looking at the storm around them, forgot that they had the God-man, who fed five thousand and who healed the sick, in the boat with them. Jesus asked them, “Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith?” Fear is the opposite of faith. Fear is a snare. Adversity and the fear it brings has derailed many Christians. Joseph faced a life of adversity. Sold into slavery, lied on, cast into prison, forgotten about — but he remained focused and faithful. He became a great leader in his time of adversity.
I recently heard about a sister-in-Christ who has cancer that God “had given her great grace.” Others could see God’s grace in her life because grace was greater than the cancer to her. She is also being a leader in her conflict. Our God knows all about the condition of the world and the adversity that we will face. What may look impossible to us does not strain God! Jesus tells us in Luke 18:27, “The things which are impossible with men are possible with God.” Submit yourself and trust Him to do a work through you. When we make God our main focus, others will notice, and God will be glorified.
Thirdly, stay in the fight. Yes, it is a fight, and the devil has many tactics to distract us from what God wants us to do. Not only should we stay close to God, but we must distance ourselves from sin and worldliness. I Peter 1:16 says, “. . . Be ye holy, for I am holy.” II Timothy 2:21 tells us, “If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master’s use, and prepared unto every good work.” Both of these verses are commands to keep ourselves in a usable condition.
Joseph is a good example of keeping himself in Genesis 39:12 so that God could use him. “And she caught him by his garment saying, lie with me: and he left his garment in her hand and fled, and got him out.” Joseph encountered a distraction that could have destroyed his testimony. As has been said many times, “He lost his coat, but not his character!” Oh, how we need to protect our testimony in this lost world!
David, a man after God’s own heart, failed to protect his testimony and mourned the consequences for the rest of his life. David experienced Isaiah 59:2, “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.” Several years ago, a survey was done on a large number of random people asking what they knew about the Bible character David. The first answer was always the story of David and Goliath, but the second answer was always his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. What do we want people to remember about us? Does the world see us laying aside holiness and embracing more and more of the world’s philosophies?
Has the devil slipped the world into our hearts and homes through the internet, cell phones, or other distractions that he comes up with?
Finally, stay on your knees. Pray for wisdom. James 1:5,” If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God . . . and it shall be given him.” Add Psalm 139:23-24 to your daily prayer life. “Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Pray as Jesus did in Matthew 26:39b, “. . . Not as I will, but as thou wilt.” Remember the promise of James 5:16b as you pray “ . . . The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” There will be a harvest in our lives. Our choices will decide if it is a harvest of praise to God or a harvest of shame for ourselves.
God help us to yield our will to His and serve confidently because we know that we are on the winning side.