The Preparation - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 30, 2023

We don't like hearing this but it has to be said over and over again - God has to prepare us for the promises. If not, we'll get our inheritance and squander it just like the prodigal son did. We'll spend every last dime only to then need to eat from a pig's trough in order to keep from starving as was the case for the Biblical character.

However, God doesn't want that for us. He doesn't want us to squander what He gives. And so, just as He did with the Israelites when they were ushered out of Egypt, He takes us through a series of experiences to build our trust in Him. These encounters can be bitter, as was the case of the Israelites facing bitter water at Mara, or sweet, as is what happened when He led the Israelites to Elim - a beautiful place of abundant water and palm trees in the wilderness.

In each situation, how the people reacted was crucial and an indication of what they'd learned in their journey with God. At Mara, the people grumbled and complained (Exodus 15:23-24). They forgot how God had created a highway in the Red Sea not long before.

At Elim, which is where they went right after Mara, they enjoyed the land but there is no record of collective or even individual thanksgiving to God for His provision (Exodus 15:27). And so, in a time of largesse and blessing, the people forgot God.

And the events of the Israelites journey continued in a similar pattern - complaints when they couldn't see how God would bring something out of nothing as well as failure to praise and trust that He'll make a way when there is no way.

We have to choose to be different. We've got to remember our Jericho Moments - those times where God showed up and showed out on our behalf. We've got to hold on to them in the face of trials and tribulations, knowing that the same God who showed up back then will show up today and tomorrow. We've got to look at our lives as a series of encounters with His grace. Experiences - good and bad - to remember and rely upon what the Lord has taught us in each season of life.

He is building us up for His glory. He is preparing us not just for the blessings He has in store but for what comes with those blessings. If we are not well-trained in the season prior, it will be difficult to enjoy what we receive and even more difficult to remain the sort of person whom He continues to bless.

The Lord Almighty will help us in this journey of preparation. His grace will see us through whereby we don't repeat the mistakes of those Israelites of old but instead learn each lesson and put it into application for His glory, IJMN, Amen.

As you wait for fellowship, consider reading the following previous P&P messages:

1. Trust God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 30, 2020

2. Wait on God - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) May 18, 2021

3. Patience: A Fruit of The Spirit - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) July 6, 2021

4. Faith vs Trust - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) September 10, 2021

5. Patience - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) October 5, 2021

6. Hold On - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) November 16, 2021

7. But, can you wait? - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) June 17, 2022

8. Waiting on the Lord's Solution - Friday Praise & Pray (for others) April 21, 2023

God the Alpha & Omega has called us to rest.

Here's a wonderful segment of a Derek Prince sermon where he discusses the need to recognize God as the Alpha & Omega of every part of your life.

He also helps us understand why, as Christians, we must rest. It is not an option, but in fact, a command.

Be blessed this day, IJMN, Amen.

The Hand of God 3: Reacting to God's Hand - Tuesday Praise & Pray (for others) June 27, 2023

Last week, we reviewed the positive impact the hand of the Lord can have on an individual or a group. We also considered the hand of the Lord being upon someone, but for their detriment. Today we look at the appropriate ways to react to the hand of God be it in your life or that of someone else. What are you supposed to do? What should you avoid doing? Being aware of the things to do or not do can deeply affect your walk with the Lord.

Given the name and practice of this fellowship, it will come as no surprise that praise is a crucial response to evidence of the hand of God. We must all remember that when we experience the hand of the Lord for good in our lives, it is not because we are so righteous. It is because of His grace and mercy. His loving kindness. Acknowledging Him for this with thanksgiving and worship will open the door to even more of His goodness. Express gratitude, give testimony of what He's done and where possible, share from what He's given to you so others will equally rejoice in Him.

And how we respond to the hand of God doing good things for others is equally important. It is easy to grumble and ask, "What about me?" or accuse God of ignoring or forgetting us. But we must not give room to such reactions because grumbling leads to other ungodly attitudes that cheat us of blessings. While not easy, we should endeavor to guard our hearts against complaining about God, never forgetting that though we don't understand all He does, His ways are perfect (Psalm 18:30).

Indeed we should appreciate God for what He did for others and use their testimony as a pillar of faith to believe in Him to do the same or more for us. Seeing the effect of God's hand on someone else should encourage us to seek Him even more. The word states that He is a rewarder of those who sincerely seek Him (Hebrews 11:6). As God cannot lie, dig in to the One who blesses those who look to Him and wait on Him to place His hand on you and your situation for good.

One instance of how to positively respond to the hand of God in a person's life comes from the story of Joseph. Despite knowing Joseph had been incarcerated, when Pharaoh discovered that he had great wisdom through his relationship with God, Pharaoh authorized Joseph to apply that wisdom for the benefit of his people (Genesis 41:39-40). Pharaoh didn't react with jealousy and anger the way Joseph's brothers did. Emotions that almost led them to murder their own brother though they sold him into slavery instead.

Rahab reacted similarly to Joseph's Pharaoh (Joshua 2). Although she was likely a child when the Lord brought the plagues on Egypt and freed the Israelites from slavery, she knew enough to align with the Israelite spies who came to her city, Jericho, decades later. She'd heard of how their God destroyed Pharaoh and his army, how the Lord turned the Red Sea into a walkable passageway, and how the Israelites had defeated other armies (Joshua 2:10). She understood that the hand of God could do good for some and bad for others. Recognizing the hand of God upon the spies and their people, Rahab aligned with their God's plan to capture her city. The result was that she was able to spare her entire family and others tied to them from certain death.

We can follow these good examples of how to respond to the hand of God by turning to Him and submitting our lives to Him. This is the primary reaction that will have the most impact for an individual and those they care for. In the time of the earliest Christians, many unbelievers got to see the fruits and the gifts of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Several challenged and threatened them. Yet, there were those who, recognizing the hand of God upon this group, joined them in believing in Jesus. God moved in their midst, saving them from famine, attempted murder and other threats. They lived rich lives in the Lord, learning more about Christ and receiving the Holy Spirit who enabled them to replicate the miracles of Jesus and much more.

We too must choose how we will respond to the hand of the Lord. The choice we make can mean life or death. It can mean being the head instead of being the tail, which is led around through life and always at the back. May the Lord help each of us to make the choice that acknowledges and appreciates God's hand be it in our lives or that of others, IJMN Amen.