Author: steps2successwithspiritualsolutions

The Lord bless you and keep you, the Lord make his face shine upon you, and be gracious to you, the Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace. (Numbers 6:24-26 NKJV)

By faith, Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith, he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God. Hebrews 11:8-10

Many are familiar with the Faith Heroes in Hebrews chapter 11. At 75, Abram demonstrated his faithful obedience to God when receiving the command to move to a foreign country. Yet, as he traveled to the promised land, he lied because of fear of the Egyptians. In his human frailty, Abram forgot the power of the God in whom He served.

And it came to pass, when he was close to entering Egypt, that he said to Sarai, his wife, Indeed I know that you are a woman of beautiful countenance. Therefore it will happen, when the Egyptians see you, that they will say, This is his wife, and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Please say you are my sister, that it may be well with me for your sake, and that I may live because of you. Genesis 12:11-13.

Because of a supposed imagining–his wife’s beauty would cause the Egyptians to kill him, Abraham fabricated a sinister plot to save his life. What would cause this great man of faith to suddenly be filled with fear? His emotional response to the presenting circumstances [the known power and ruthlessness of the Egyptians] canceled his belief in the power of God.

I will make you a great nation; I will bless you. And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing. (Genesis 12:2)

Would God make a covenant vow with Abram and allow the pagan Egyptians to take his life before he reached the promised land? Abram was aware the Israelites were enslaved to the Egyptians. His fear overshadowed that when God makes a promise, He is prepared and has Divine solutions to every challenge we face. Seeing life through unbelieving eyes causes us to develop unreliable strategies to resolve the problem, always leaving us in a overwhelming predicament.

So it was, when Abram came into Egypt, that the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful. The princes of Pharaoh also saw her and commended her to Pharaoh. And the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house. (Genesis 12:14-15)

Can you imagine Sarai’s fear? When Abram fabricated the lie, he certainly did not anticipate the consequences of his wife being taken to Pharoah’s palace. Even though God was aware that Abram’s faithlessness would place Sarai in a situation that neither one could resolve, our loving and merciful God intervened to prevent terrible consequences. “But the Lord plagued Pharaoh and his house with great plagues because of Sarai, Abram’s wife.” (Genesis 12:17).

Contrary to popular modern belief, God was not a punitive tyrant that enjoyed killing those created in His image. We read many stories of humanity’s weaknesses throughout the Old Testament based on disbelief and disobedience and God’s extension of grace and mercy. Historically, we have a proven track record of disregarding God’s commands and attempting to help God by using our limited abilities. And for our prideful sins, we suffer unnecessary consequences, yet, we view God as unfair in His justice.

Despite Abram’s moment of faithlessness, God lovingly rescued Abram and Sarai from a chaotic situation in Egypt. One would think that Abram and Sarai learned the lesson of trusting in God, but again they demonstrated the weakness of humanity when Sarai suggested that he marry Hagar. Both assumed that the promised male heir would never be born because of their advanced age. Again, in His mercy, God forgave them, making a new covenant changing Abram’s name to Abraham and Sarai’s name to Sarah. And Isaac, the promised son, was born to a woman, 90 years old, and her husband of 100.

Yes, we are Abram and Sarai, trusting in our abilities instead of possessing unwavering faith in our Omnipotent God. Unless we involve God in every aspect of our lives, praying for direction and patiently waiting for His promises to come to fruition, we can never please God. “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” (Hebrews 11:6).

Through prayer and diligent study of the Scriptures, we come to know who God is by developing a close relationship with Him. God is saying to us, “Commit your unknown future to Me.”

Prayer: God, we commit ourselves to you by placing our lives in your hands. We ask forgiveness for trying to figure out and fix our challenges. Thank you for your love, grace, and mercies. We ask this prayer in the Worthy Name of Jesus. Amen. © 2022 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers, and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries

Jesus’ ministry will never be surpassed or outclassed. Jesus saves completely, eternally, “to the uttermost” (Heb. 7:25). The salvation that Jesus provides is total and final. It reaches the innermost aspects of human nature (Read Heb. 4:12, Heb. 9:14, Heb. 10:1-4). Jesus’ intercession before God involves all the benefits granted under the new covenant.

It includes much more than the forgiveness of sins, too. It implies putting the law in our hearts, making us new people in Him, and leading us to the dissemination of the gospel to the world (Heb. 8:10-12). As one with God and with human beings, He represents us before the Father. As One who offered His life as a sacrifice, Jesus has unwavering favor before God. An Eternal Priest, SSQ, Feb 2, 2022

“Though we are born into the world out of harmony with divine principles, God has placed within us the desire for something better.” D. Winn, His Healing Love.

We have the innate quality to seek and achieve. Yes, God gave us the ability to pursue spiritual and intellectual growth and development. Each of us has been given talents. Maybe you have not taken the time to discover your unique gifts. Still, God, the Giver of gifts and perfect things created you as a recipient of many blessings.

There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NIV)

Looking at the perfect beauty of nature, the animals, and the uniqueness of every individual, we become aware that Jesus is the Master Designer. So, it makes perfect sense that we would also love beauty. The aspect of Creation that we fail to see is, “Then God saw everything that He had made, and indeed it was very good. So the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” (Genesis 1:31). There was an endpoint to the creative process.

Unlike God, who was happily satisfied with the results of His creative powers and stopped, we have no endpoint to our pursuit of “happiness.” We keep going because God is no longer our “Spiritual Influencer.”

Although we cannot escape the impact of our environment and other people, many are confused about pursuing something better. Using our five senses, we desperately seek the things that we can see, hear, touch, smell, and taste. We desire the tangible things that money can buy. We have been deceived into believing that we can create a zen environment that provides peace and happiness by purchasing clothing, luxury homes, vehicles, furnishings, decorative items, and exotic and pedigree animals to surround us.

The pursuit of career advancement has nearly destroyed our ability to live productive lives. We seek empowerment from academic degrees, job titles, and salaries. We cease to gain satisfaction from our God-given knowledge and skills. Sadly, we measure our self-worth by our positions, possessions, and liquid assets. Using the world’s standards, which continually change according to “the whims of the experts and influencers,” our enjoyment of life ceases to exist. Our curriculum vitae (CV) and resume are constantly updated because we accept someone else’s definition of our value.

The primary purpose of pursuing “something better” is for us to gain daily spiritual growth and development–Sanctification [To be transformed into the Character of Christ]. Yes, our relationship with Jesus Christ is nourished by much prayer and supplication–the action of asking God for something earnestly or humbly. We achieve complete satisfaction by studying the Scriptures, which reveal God’s character. We experience a deeper level of communion with Christ gaining knowledge, wisdom, faith, and trust. Most importantly, we begin to understand the agape love of God, the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit.

Yes, God desires that we develop to our fullest potential. But we are to pursue Him first! Obedience places us in the position for God to bring His highest plans into fruition for our lives. We are guaranteed love, peace, joy, and an outpouring of blessings. Remember, His promises are “Yes and Amen,” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

Prayer: God, we ask forgiveness for the sin of pursuing material things instead of a deeper relationship with you. Anoint us with your Holy Spirit and give us wisdom as we seek knowledge in the scriptures. We ask this prayer in Jesus’ name. Amen. © 2022 Sonya Johnson, Faithful Fishers, and Woman, You Are Loved by God Ministries