When Life Gets MESSY!

 

Read:  Psalm 29 and Mark 4

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand.  Mark 4:33

 

He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”  Mark 4:40

 

O:  Psalm 29 talks about the voice of God (the qowl [voice] of YHVH – the covenant keeping name of God) which is described as majestic and something to invoke in us awe and even fear.  A couple of nights ago we had a thunder storm.  I happened to sleep through it without hearing a thing.  But the next day at work people were describing the storm as “loud”.  One lady said one of the claps of thunder made her sit up in bed and gasp for air because it startled her so much.  Another one said it sounded like “a bomb going off”.  I was amazed at all of their descriptions because literally I heard nothing.  I slept through it like a baby.

 

The words here used to describe the qowl of YHVH are similar.  A voice that breaks cedars and strips the trees of their bark and divides the flames of fire; this is a voice of authority and power.  But it is the last verse that I love the most, “The LORD will give strength unto his people; the LORD will bless his people with peace [shalom = wholeness].” (verse 11)  The voice of the LORD strengthens us and blesses us!  As my friend Sandra would say, Ah-Main!

 

As we flip over to Mark chapter 4.  Again we see the authority and power of the qowl of YHVH through Jesus Christ our Lord – Yeshua HaMashiach as he speaks to the wind and the waves.  Ever since I heard Joyce Meyer teach on this passage I have a great affection for it. 

 

First of all Jesus says to his disciples in verse 35, “That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, ‘Let us go over to the other side.’”  I love what Joyce brought out that I had never seen before in this passage.  Jesus said “Let’s go over to the other side.”  If Jesus says we are going to go to the other side of the lake, we are going to go over!  What Jesus says to us we can believe!!!  Which is one reason He rebuked His disciples after everything was said and done when He asked them where their faith was.  Basically He was asking them, “Don’t you believe Me?”  It is like a parent telling a child, “I said I would do it and you can trust my word!” 

 

“A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped. Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion.”  Verse 37-38 tells us Jesus was sleeping through the storm just like I was the other night, in the meantime the disciples were very awake and very scared!  They weren’t thinking about Jesus’ words that they were going to the other side, no, they were looking at the waves and the water in the boat and thinking, “we are going to drown” (verse 38b).  Joyce points out here that sometimes the middle is messy! 

 

 

 

You may have received a promise from the LORD and you know you are going to the other side of it, but often times the middle is messy!  We as parents know that by the grace of God we will get through potty training, their first days of school, learning to read and write and into middle school and finally graduation, but we also know there is going to be some MESS in the middle of all that.  Potty training is not for the faint of heart and there are going to be some MESSY days (literally!).  Learning new things at school and in life for our kids are hard and MESSY!  Middle school years and hormonal changes are MESSY!  But we get through them and we do get to the other side.

 

Life is MESSY!  Let’s face it!  But with Jesus in our proverbial boats of life we will get to the other side!  Even when you think He is being silent and “not caring”.  That’s what the disciple thought and even asked him, “Don’t you even care that we are going to drown???????”  They were probably screaming at Him because they were scared.  Jesus even asked them, “What are you afraid of?”

 

So I pose that question to you, “What are you afraid of today?”  Where does life seem messy to you right now?  I used the example of raising kids, but I know there are A LOT of other “messy middles” that some of you are going through.  Some of you reading this today may be going through or have experienced cancer, some of you are dealing with deaths of loved ones, some are possibly going through divorces or other messy situations.  And if you are not experiencing them yourself then you know of those who are.  Life is MESSY! 

 

 

 

I would love to hear your comments below.  What messes are you experiencing?  Let us as a group lift those up to the LORD in prayer and let His Powerful Voice speak to those situations.  Where has God strengthen your faith in the middle of current or past messes?  Your testimony may be the encouragement someone needs to hear today.  Comment on times when you felt God was silent and you possibly felt like you were about to drown, but then how you saw Him work through the mess and get you to the other side.

 

A:  My application for myself today is to remember to trust God in the MESS!  And to cling to the promise that we will get to the other side in this life or the next we are going to get through it!

 

 

 

P:  Father in Heaven, thank you so much that Your voice is powerful!  Thank you that You can speak to any situation with Authority!  Father I thank You that with You ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE!  God with You we know that we can make it through to the other side of all things.  We may go through feelings like the disciples when we think You are not there seeing what we are seeing or that perhaps You don’t care, but God we know that You do care for us.  God You know the numbers of the hairs on our head.  You know EVERYTHING about us and our situations.  God thank You that we can trust You to get us to the other side even when things look really, really, really MESSY and even scary LORD!  Father I pray that each one reading this today would have their faith strengthened.  God that You would speak into each of their situations strength and blessing.  Thank You LORD that You are ever present with us and that You love us so very much!  Through Christ I pray, Amen & Amen.

True Intercession, Consequences and Words

 

Read:  Numbers 14

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

 

S:  Their protection has been removed from them, and the Lord is with us; do not fear them.”  Numbers 14:9b

 

24 But My servant Caleb, because he has had a different spirit and has followed Me fully, I will bring into the land which he entered, and his descendants shall take possession of it.  Numbers 14:24

 

30 Surely you shall not come into the land in which I swore to settle you, except Caleb the son of Jephunneh and Joshua the son of Nun.  Numbers 14:30

 

O:  We left Chapter 13 with the Children of Israel feeling small like grasshoppers.  Chapter 14 opens up with them crying and weeping like little children who are scared to face something they never have faced before.  They retaliate against their “parents” Aaron and Moshe (Moses).  Like little children sometimes do, they said they wanted “new parents”.  They began to talk about going back to Egypt – to what they have always known.

 

Then God comes on the scene in verses 11-12 and says this, “The Lord said to Moses, ‘How long will this people spurn Me? And how long will they not believe in Me, despite all the signs which I have performed in their midst?  I will smite them with pestilence and dispossess them, and I will make you into a nation greater and mightier than they.’”

 

God was not angered with the people when they were crying and fearful.  We all have a choice when fear hits us.  We are human, yes, and we may cry and pitch a fit, but then we need to get up and cry out to the One who can assail our fears.  We need to take our concerns to God Almighty.  “Cast all your anxiety on Him because He cares for you.”  I Peter 5:7 and “Cast your cares on the LORD and he will sustain you; He will never let the righteous be shaken.” Psalm 55:22

 

But when they started talking about going back to Egypt, back into bondage and slavery, God came on the scene and was ready to make a new people out of Moses.  So Moses interceded for the people.  Note how Moses interceded.  Yes it was for the people, but also to protect God’s character.  When we are praying and interceding for others it must be with the right or godly motives.  Sometimes when I have interceded and prayed for people it has been like a little child tattling on their brother or sister.  The prayer might look something like this, “Dear LORD, You see the way that person treated me, God You know that was wrong, please stand up for me.”  At other times I might storm into the throne room of God and just start listing off everything “that person” is doing that shouldn’t be done.  “They did this wrong, and that wrong, ohhhhh and you know they are this way and things will never change ….”  On and on we go like a little child tattling.

 

This week as I was praying God reminded me about Moses and Jesus and how they prayed.  What did Jesus pray from the cross?  “Father forgive them for they do not know what they do.”  Moses as we see here today prayed for God’s character to be protected.  Moses knew the people were wrong, but he asked to spare them for the sake of God’s name.  At other times Moses prayed like this, “But now, please forgive their sin--but if not, then blot me out of the book you have written."  Exodus 32:32  Now I don’t know about you, but how hard would it be to pray, LORD, please forgive so and so’s sin, and if you don’t then blot me out of the Book of Life?  Let’s be truthful here, even for the people I love the most it would be difficult for me to be willing to give up heaven and eternity with Christ for the sin of another person.  But God sent His Son to die for the sins of each one of us.  Jesus prayed from the cross, forgive them.  My heart broke when God reminded me of these things and what the heart of a true intercessor looks like.  He or she literally stands in the gap for others.  They have a “blot me out too” type of heart and they don’t come tattling, but lifting up and supporting those who they are bringing to Christ.  They have a heart that wants to protect God’s name and character and wants God to receive ALL the glory when those prayers are answered.

 

There is so much in this chapter!  This is probably only one of about three or four things I think the LORD could teach us here today.  The other two things I will mention briefly for the sake of time.

 

1)      Be careful about the words you speak.  God judged the people by their own words.  They cried out to Moses and said they were going to die in the wilderness and that was their judgment.  Our words have power!  I could go into great detail and give lots of examples through Scripture of this, but again for the sake of time I will not do that here today.

2)    In the last paragraph the Children of Israel (again like little children) went against their Papa’s words and did what they wanted to do.  I have a strong willed child.  They on occasion after I have said no will go about trying to do what they want to do and I can promise you that most of the time it ends badly for them!  And most of the time it is the natural consequences they suffer as a result of their actions.  Here God told the people “No”, but they refused to listen.  They got up with the intent of taking the Promised Land in their own power and failed miserably!  I, as my mother would assure you, was also a strong willed child.  It has taken me a llllloooooonnnnngggggg time to get to the place in my life where I can be at rest and not try to “buck the system” so to speak.  Let’s use the wisdom of the LORD and be patient and follow closely after Him so we do not have to suffer unnecessary consequences.

 

A:  So what kind of intercessor are you?  Does this explanation of prayer change the way you will pray for and intercede for others in the future?  Have you ever seen the power of words in your life?  Are you or do you know others who are strong willed?  I’d love to hear your comments on Numbers 14 and what God is teaching you through these readings.

 

P:  Our Father in Heaven, I ask You to teach us through Your Word and to grow us up into all Truth.  Do not let our hearts be deceived by the evil one.  Thank You for times when You open up our hearts and minds to truths that are new to us.  I praise You that You are compassionate and forgiving.  God we know that even though You forgive us there are consequences for our actions.  Father I pray that we could limit those consequences by following close to You and that we would not be tempted to go astray.  Protect us and guide us today.  Through Christ I pray, Amen & Amen.

 

I pray we would all go out from here with the Spirit of Moses', Joshua and Caleb! 

 

Be strong and courageous and trusting in the Almighty!

We are more than Conqueorers!

 

Read:  Numbers 13

 

S.O.A.P.

Scripture – Observation – Application – Prayer

 

S:  “We went in to the land where you sent us; and it certainly does flow with milk and honey, and this is its fruit.  Nevertheless, the people who live in the land are strong, and the cities are fortified and very large …” Numbers 13:27-28

 

O:  They spied out the land and it was good and full of large ripe fruit … nevertheless …

 

Nevertheless is a conjunction – joining two ideas together.  Yes it’s full of good fruit, BUUUUUTTT wait there’s more!  There are giants in the land!  And that’s not all.  Their cities are fortified with big walls. 

 

The people bringing the report back to the Israelites were basically telling “ghost stories around a campfire”.  You know the stories, the kind meant to instill fear in those who were listening.

 

BUT Caleb.  Here is another conjunction.  Caleb stilled the people.  He hushed them and commanded them to be quiet.  Caleb brought good news.  He encouraged them in the midst of all the objections that they were OVERCOMERS!  We are well able to overcome it! (v. 30)

 

That word in Hebrew is yakol.  It means to prevail, to overcome, to endure, to have power, to be able.  This isn’t a “can’t” word this is a “can” word.  Another meaning is “to be able to bring oneself to do anything, to be powerful, to prevail, to master anything difficult”.

 

BUT THE MEN.  Here is yet another conjunction and objection.  Verse 31 – The men who were with them said, “We will not be able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than we are.”  L  So (verse 32) they brought an evil report of the land.

 

First of all, it wasn’t them who needed to be strong!  In verse 33 it says We were in our own sight as grasshoppers.  They saw themselves as small and weak.  But where should their eyes have been looking?

 

These people should have been as brave as the boy David, “David said to the Philistine, "You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied.”  I Samuel 17:45

 

They needed to remember whose they were!  Ye are of God, little children, and have overcome them: because greater is He that is in you, than he that is in the world.  I John 4:4

 

I was listening to Joyce Meyer yesterday as I was riding my exercise bike and she was talking about how we are really Superheros and we just need to put on our cape and face the enemy head on.  As part of her message she used these verses from Romans 8:

35 Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 Just as it is written,

“For Your sake we are being put to death all day long;
We were considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”

37 But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor any other created thing, will be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

One of the points she made was this:  We will go through tribulation and distress and persecution and all of these other big, trying things, BUT (another wonderful conjunction!) IN ALL THESE THINGS WE OVERWHELMINGLY CONQUER!  That is such good news!  How do we conquer, “through HIM who loved us so!”  There is NOTHING that can separate us from His love friends, nothing!  Whatever it is you are fearing, whether it be giants in the land or an unknown future know this today:  You are held in the hands of an Almighty, All Powerful, All Knowing God!  You are His precious one.  He sings over you and loves you so very much.  I’m not saying there won’t be trials and tribulations.  Goodness knows I have heard some stories over the last week that breaks my heart for the things people are going through, but know this – it breaks His heart just as much and more!  But if you will just trust Him to see you through this thing HE WILL!  He is more than able and in the end friends, we WIN!  This thing here, on this earth, this is just temporary, BUT HE!  He is forever and HE is the One we get to be with forever!  Nothing can separate you from that love!  Nothing!

 

 

A:  Today I want to live as an overcomer.  I do not need to be fearful or afraid of my circumstances.  For GREATER is He that is in me, than he that is in the world.  God is the GREATEST!  Anything I face I face with God on my side!  What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?  Romans 8:31

 

P:  Our Father which art in Heaven, thank You that because You overcame death we can overcome as well.  Thank You that no matter what we face we can go into that situation knowing that You are with us and that You love us more than we could ever possibly imagine.  Though we may be put to death all day long, we can overwhelmingly conquer!  Father help us not to be like those who brought the evil report back being teeny tiny in our own eyes, but God let us see ourselves through YOUR eyes!  Father I thank you that You are a good, good Father!  I know there are those today who are hurting from losses and other situations that they are or have faced, but God please wrap Your loving arms around each one today and let them know that they are Yours and that You love them so very much!  I lift all these things up to You.  Through Christ I pray.  Amen & Amen.

 

Here are 20 verses about being an overcomer:  http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Overcomers