For you are a holy people (set apart) to the Lord your God; the Lord your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be a people for His own possession (that is, His very special treasure). The Lord did not love you and choose you because you were greater in number than any of the other peoples for you were the fewest of all peoples. But because the Lord loves you and is keeping the oath which He swore to your fathers, the Lord has brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed (bought) you from the house of slavery, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Therefore know (without any doubt) and understand that the Lord your God He is God, the faithful God, who is keeping His covenant and His (steadfast) lovingkindness to a thousand generations with those who love Him and keep His commandments; (Deut. 7: 6-97 Ampl.)
Try reading these verses starting with your name. Carol, you are a holy people…. I don’t know about you, but it just seems so real. God loves me, God chose me, I am set apart, I know without a doubt that He is God and He is faithful. His love is steadfast, all I have to do is love Him back and keep His commandments. Easy right?
Many years ago I studied the Bible and when I read about blessings and curses, I decided I wanted to be under that umbrella of blessing. I have not changed my mind. Have I followed His commandments perfectly? No! But like the Israelites, there are things I need to drive out of the land the Lord gave me. Things like hatred, anger, jealousy, doubt and fear. And, I need to drive them out completely, not leaving one sliver alive because it would be a deadly trap for me.
The Lord your God will clear away these nations before you little by little; you will not be able to put an end to them quickly, for (if you did) the wild animals would become too numerous for you. (Deut. 7:22 Ampl.)
But the Lord does not expect me to clean house in one day. He is patient with me. He knows that trying to do too much at once, would frustrate me and cause me to give up and be devoured by them. So, He works with me a little bit at a time. Slowly ridding me of my enemies. On the flip side, if the house was cleaned all in one day, maybe my confidence would become great, and I might think I don’t need God. Maybe, I would become puffed up.
….He might make you understand (by personal experience) that man does not live by bread alone, but man lives by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord (Deut. 8:3b Ampl.)
Otherwise, you may say in your heart, ‘My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth.’ (Deut. 8: 17 Amplified)
So know today (with confident assurance) that the Lord your God is crossing (the Jordan) before you like a devouring fire. He will destroy them and He will subdue them before you, and you shall drive them out and destroy them quickly, just as the Lord has promised you. (Deut. 8:3 Ampl.)
God keeps His promises. I may not have access to all the promises He had for Israel, but nonetheless, I have promises. And His promises are not because of anything that I do, for I am a stubborn, obstinate stiff-necked individual, but it is because I am under the new covenant, which is more powerful than the original one. God hates evil, whether I am the one acting that way, or Israel. However, if I choose to honor God with my life, I can be confident that He will lead me one step at a time away from the things that try to ensnare me, and care for me with His great power and by His outstretched arm.
God did just that with Paul. It may not appear that way to an outsider, since Paul was in jail, but still He was with Paul. He had people in the right place at the right time, time and time again. God placed Paul before Kings and allowed him to share his testimony over and over: Jesus is alive!! And because Paul was faithful to Jesus, Jesus was faithful to Paul.
I may not understand God’s methods, I may not understand his thought process, but I understand that He is God, and He faithfully leads me to my promised land—which is in heaven!
Father God, thank you that I can know that even when I cannot see it, you are working in my life. You teach me little by little, step by step, until my life here on earth is over. You never give up on me, even if I give up on myself, and Your strength is made perfect in my weakness. When I slow down enough to look for you, or to hear your voice, I am amazed that you are so close to my side. Thank you for your faithfulness. In Jesus’ name I pray, Amen!
Carol (carolvorwe)
Sixty-six books in a year 