Thursday, April 17, 2014

Day 199 - Maximize Your Joy; Walk In Faith

Thoughts on Michael Wells’ teachings in My Weakness for His Strength - # 84
         
Michael’s book is available through:

Abiding Life Ministries International
Littleton, Colorado
(303) 972-0859       www.abidinglife.com

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Don’t you just love Michael’s shocking statements?!?  Accurate, truth, and a shock to our belief system due to erroneous teaching for years in many circles.  Well, get ready for another one at the start of today’s copy from Michael’s masterpiece, My Weakness for His Strength.


DAY 199

Maximize Your Joy; Walk In Faith

For we walk by faith, not by sight. –II Corinthians 5:7

I often say, "When you know the will of God, congratulations! You are an unbeliever! Abraham went and he knew not. Knowing not and going anyway is faith. Knowing everything and going takes no faith and is tantamount to unbelief." If we knew the will of God, what was around every corner, and if we always knew the outcome, how boring would life be? If we knew everything that was going to happen, our joy would not be full; in fact, our joy would be stolen. One example is Betty’s and my need of paying bills. When the money is there, we pay and think nothing of it. However, when there is no foreseeable way of doing it and we open an envelope in which is the exact amount needed because the Lord put us on someone’s heart, I cannot adequately describe the joy this brings. Had we known the check was coming, would we have had the same joy? If the Prodigal Son's father had always known the son would return, would his joy have been as great the day he saw him coming down the road? It is in not knowing, in walking by faith, that joy is made full. 


Yellow – VIP, Very Important Point      Green – IT, Incredible Truth        
Red – GP, Greatest Promises
Turquoise – UR, Unfathomable Riches           Pink – PV, Priceless Victory

Well, how did you like that poke in the ribs?  Hit close to home, though, didn’t it?  When we don’t have a lot of what I call “life verses” that fundamentally solidify our walk in the Lord, we fall victim to a “walk by sight” rather than by faith.

I love that story in Hebrews chapter 11 of Abraham “going while not knowing,” don’t you!  So much encouragement.  And Proverbs telling me that all I have to do is “Trust in the Lord with all my heart, lean not to my own understanding, acknowledge Him in all my ways, AND HE WILL DIRECT MY PATHS” (Prov. 3:5-6).  Hallelujah!

God’s instructions could not be any more plain and simple than “the just (righteous) shall live by faith” (Habakkuk 2:4; Romans 1:17; Galatians 3:11; Hebrews 10:38).  So why is it that the vast majority of Christians will not “walk” unless they “see,” instead of living by faith?  Why are so many defeated because they fear they are “not in the will of God,” or are unsure just what “the will of God is”?  Does this not put a whole new perspective on the “importance” of the “will of God”?

Michael gives us an excellent illustration (he and Betty paying bills) of how we can walk trusting God, and find exuberant joy when He shows Himself strong and faithful to us.  And just stop and think about that famous story of the Prodigal Son…how many have ever thought of what it would have been like IF the father “had always known the son would return”…most likely “the rest of the story” would have been quite different!

God has given us His instructions.  God has given us many illustrations and examples.  What more is it going to take to get us to live by faith, and maximize our joy???


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NOTICE: a new blog on Michael Wells’ book, Sidetracked In The Wilderness, called Getting Out of the Wilderness.  You can access by logging onto www.leemcchristianministries.blogspot.com


Lee McDowell Christian Ministries
leemccm@gmail.com
P. O. Box 633244    Nacogdoches, Tx 75963                                    936-559-5696

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