GOD is CALLING US
God is Calling Us … to be a praying church. Ever since He called Pastor Dave home, I have been praying and asking the LORD … “Where are You taking us”? I am convinced of several things.
1. He is leading us into the future that He has planned for us. As I have shared with you, He burned Deuteronomy 31:8 into my mind. It says –
“The LORD HIMSELF goes before you and will be with you; He will never leave you or forsake you. Do not be afraid.”
a. He is going before us.
b. He will be with us all the way.
c. We don’t have to be afraid or discouraged.
d. He will never leave us or forsake us.
Folks those are incredible commitments that our God is making to us. I believe God wants to lead us into an incredible adventure of faith.
2. Next, He reminded me of a powerful passage He gave to me years ago, only this time He made it very clear that these verses are for me and Jubilee.
In Isaiah 45:2-3, we read:
“I will go before you and will level the mountains,
I will break down gates of bronze and cut through bars of iron.
I will give you the treasures of darkness, riches stored in secret places,
so that you may know that I am the LORD, the God of Israel, who summons you by name.”
a. God knows where He is going and He wants us to follow Him.
b. He will handle any obstacles that are in the way.
c. He has treasures to share with us that we can’t even imagine at this time.
d. Everything He does will be to help us recognize and honor Him as our God.
3. The most recent thing the LORD has shown me is that He wants us to be a people of His word and prayer.
· 2 Timothy 3:16, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness.”
· In Joshua 1:8, we read “Do not let this book of the LAW depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.”
(We need to learn to meditate on God’s Word — to turn it over and over, like a cow chewing its cud. As we digest God’s Word and do everything it instructs us to do, we will flourish in our faith and in our living.)
· We need to memorize God’s Word or hide it in our hearts. In Psalm 119:11, we read –
“I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You.”
I was very young when I started to memorize scripture. Verses I learned as a boy, rise to the surface on a regular basis. They counsel me and guide me. They are a safe guard to me in my daily walk.
· We need to teach God’s Word to our children and grandchildren. In Deuteronomy 6:6-7, we read –
“These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up.”
4. Our Father in Heaven wants us to seek Him and spend time with Him in prayer.
We can share every detail and concern of our lives with our Heavenly Father. In 1 Peter 5:7, we read –
“Casting all your care on Him, because He cares for you.”
· Anything that concerns you, you can share with Him because He cares for you.
We need to remember what the angel said to Mary when he shared with her that she would be the mother of the Messiah. She wondered how that could be since she wasn’t married and had never been sexually involved with a man. He said to her, in Luke 1:37, “For nothing is impossible with God.”
Folks, I believe that is true.
Don’t be afraid to ask God for great things. Anything less than that dishonors Him. In Ephesians 3:20, the Apostle Paul wrote – “Now to Him who is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think according to the power that works in us …”
· The power that works in us is God the Holy Spirit.
· He is able.
· He is able to do above and beyond all that we ask or think.
In verse 2, Paul gives us what our desire and response should be – “to Him, be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.”
Folks, I want to close with what may be the greatest miracle of God of all time. He is able to give life to someone who is dead.
Listen to what Paul wrote in Ephesians 2:1-2,
“And you were dead in your trespasses and sins in which you previously walked according to the ways of this world, according to the ruler who exercises authority over the lower heavens, the spirit now working in the lower heavens.”
In Ephesians 2:4, Paul says –
“But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love that He had for us, made us alive, with the Messiah even though we were dead in trespasses …”
Don’t pass over that too quickly. Think about it. We were spiritually dead and by the power of God’s Word, administered by the Holy Spirit, we became spiritually alive.
God is calling us to be a people of prayer. He wants us to want to spend time with Him and share life with Him.
When you really love someone, you want to be with them. If you and I really love the LORD JESUS CHRIST, we will want to spend time with Him and invite Him into every area of our lives.
Folks, God is not hiding. He wants to be found. He longs to hear from us. Let everyday be an adventure in prayer — an adventure of life shared with Him.
Trusting in Him,
Pastor Leonard
