Member
I would like to take a look at Proverbs 21:30:
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan, that can succeed against the Lord." (NIV)
If ever there is a verse in Scripture that truely shows the truth of God's nature, it is this verse.
I would like to offer two different observations on this verse.
First of all, I see the sheer power of who exactly WHO God really is. I look at the word power, & it really make me realize that no matter what anything of us try to do or think, especially if it is contrary to God's will, is doomed to failure.
After that short time where I was away from the Lord, I have truely come to realize just the high price that I paid for my falling away from Him.
Before that time, God had used me as a witness for Him, like I couldn't believe! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to turn almost any conversation, into a witnessing oppurtunity! But now, (although I know that it is the Lord's timing on this), I have the hardest time trying to witness to people. There have been many oppurtunities to turn conversations to Jesus, but, I haven't been able to. And when converstaions have opened themselves to talk of God, it has been very weak in my attempts to really say anything that would make an impression of the person that I was talking to. (If anyone of you have seen the last episode of M*A*S*H, remember when Hawkeye commented to Sidney Friedman that operating used to be like "falling off a log" for him, but now it was like "falling off a cliff".). Well, it is the same way for me with witnessing. God's power was so unbelievably present in me, that I didn't even give it a second thought about what I needed to say-the Holy Spirit almost automaticly switched my thinking & conversation processes into "God-Mode".
I would be a liar if I say that it hasn't been absolutly devestating to me, that I no longer have that smallest bit of God's power in my life anymore. Like never before, I have come to a true knowledge of just how powerful God's omnipotence REALLY is! It wasn't by my power that I used to be such a powerful witness, but totally & compleatly God's power & ONLY God's power! (And what a precious gift it really was!)
I have mentioned several times about a place here in Madison called the House of Prayer, which has been a godsend to me these past several years. Just recently, someone has errected a 6-Foot high wooden cross in the H.O.P. Vitrually everynight, after work, & many times before work as well, I would go to the House of Prayer, & just pour out my heart to God about how much I missed all the witnessing oppurtunities, & would litterally be crying about how much I needed Him, & wanted nothing more than to serve Him. Every time, I go there, I find myself with my arms wrapped around this cross, holding on to it for dear life, crying like a baby, fully admitting how much I need Jesus & how much I wanted to serve Him & only Him! Never before have I truely received a revelation about just how important God's power is to my own life!
The other thought that I have about Proverbs 21:30, is much wider in scope. I look at the instances when it has been brought out in Scripture about how futile it is for man to really try to defeat what God has ordained.
I look at Psalm 2:1-"Why do the nations conspire, & the people plot in vain?." (NIV)
It is totally pointlesss to try to defeat what God has already ordained, my Brothers & Sisters. When man tries to do something that is contrary to God's will, it is, & it WILL BE DOOMED TO FAILURE!!!!!!!! We can't defeat God's will! We Can't! We Can't!
Look at the book of Job. Even Satan can only do that which God allows! Look at Job 1:12.
"The Lord said Satan: 'Very well then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself, do not lay a finger." (NIV)
And again: look at Job 2:6.
"The Lord said to Satan: 'Very well then, he is in your hands, but you must spare His life." (NIV)
Here we see even the second most powerful being in the entire universe, being limited the the Omnipotence of God! Satan couldn't do any more to Job, than GOD WOULD ALLOW!
Beloved Brothers & Sisters, along with Job, I too find myself saying, (even as Job did),
".........The Lord gave, & the Lord has taken away; may the Name of the Lord be praised." ( Job1:20) (NIV)
I find myself imploring all of you NEVER to take for granted the total, complete, Omnipotence of God's power!
I know that God has something even better, than the awesome witnessing oppurtunities that I originally had. But I learned a very, very hard lesson, about what happens when we don't truely appreciate what God had given me-a very intimate touch of His AWESOME power.
Let us pray.
"Christ Jesus, we come before You, humbling ourselves before You. You are the Christ, the promised one of Scripture, promised to the world. You are God-who can stand before you? We cry out in repentance for our taking for granted, the touch of Your power, that You have granted everyone who knows You as Lord & Savior. Lord Jesus, it is the most precious gift that many man could ever know. We confess that we all too often take You & everything that You are all too lightly. Christ Jesus, we pray that none of us would ever go through the taking away of Your touch upon our lives! You ARE God! There is NONE beside You! We give You & You alone all praise that You do forgive us & receive us back to yourself when we confess ous sins, for nothing, except Your dying for each one of us, could ever be more important to each one of our lives than the Touch of Your hand upon our lives. May we never experience the loss of what You have granted us, ever again. We love You, Lord Jesus. We love You. In Jesus Name. &
In Jesus Name!
Bill
_________________
"If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves & pray, & seek my face, & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, & will forgive their sin, & will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14) (NIV)
"There is no wisdom, no insight, no plan, that can succeed against the Lord." (NIV)
If ever there is a verse in Scripture that truely shows the truth of God's nature, it is this verse.
I would like to offer two different observations on this verse.
First of all, I see the sheer power of who exactly WHO God really is. I look at the word power, & it really make me realize that no matter what anything of us try to do or think, especially if it is contrary to God's will, is doomed to failure.
After that short time where I was away from the Lord, I have truely come to realize just the high price that I paid for my falling away from Him.
Before that time, God had used me as a witness for Him, like I couldn't believe! By the power of the Holy Spirit, I was able to turn almost any conversation, into a witnessing oppurtunity! But now, (although I know that it is the Lord's timing on this), I have the hardest time trying to witness to people. There have been many oppurtunities to turn conversations to Jesus, but, I haven't been able to. And when converstaions have opened themselves to talk of God, it has been very weak in my attempts to really say anything that would make an impression of the person that I was talking to. (If anyone of you have seen the last episode of M*A*S*H, remember when Hawkeye commented to Sidney Friedman that operating used to be like "falling off a log" for him, but now it was like "falling off a cliff".). Well, it is the same way for me with witnessing. God's power was so unbelievably present in me, that I didn't even give it a second thought about what I needed to say-the Holy Spirit almost automaticly switched my thinking & conversation processes into "God-Mode".
I would be a liar if I say that it hasn't been absolutly devestating to me, that I no longer have that smallest bit of God's power in my life anymore. Like never before, I have come to a true knowledge of just how powerful God's omnipotence REALLY is! It wasn't by my power that I used to be such a powerful witness, but totally & compleatly God's power & ONLY God's power! (And what a precious gift it really was!)
I have mentioned several times about a place here in Madison called the House of Prayer, which has been a godsend to me these past several years. Just recently, someone has errected a 6-Foot high wooden cross in the H.O.P. Vitrually everynight, after work, & many times before work as well, I would go to the House of Prayer, & just pour out my heart to God about how much I missed all the witnessing oppurtunities, & would litterally be crying about how much I needed Him, & wanted nothing more than to serve Him. Every time, I go there, I find myself with my arms wrapped around this cross, holding on to it for dear life, crying like a baby, fully admitting how much I need Jesus & how much I wanted to serve Him & only Him! Never before have I truely received a revelation about just how important God's power is to my own life!
The other thought that I have about Proverbs 21:30, is much wider in scope. I look at the instances when it has been brought out in Scripture about how futile it is for man to really try to defeat what God has ordained.
I look at Psalm 2:1-"Why do the nations conspire, & the people plot in vain?." (NIV)
It is totally pointlesss to try to defeat what God has already ordained, my Brothers & Sisters. When man tries to do something that is contrary to God's will, it is, & it WILL BE DOOMED TO FAILURE!!!!!!!! We can't defeat God's will! We Can't! We Can't!
Look at the book of Job. Even Satan can only do that which God allows! Look at Job 1:12.
"The Lord said Satan: 'Very well then, everything he has is in your hands, but on the man himself, do not lay a finger." (NIV)
And again: look at Job 2:6.
"The Lord said to Satan: 'Very well then, he is in your hands, but you must spare His life." (NIV)
Here we see even the second most powerful being in the entire universe, being limited the the Omnipotence of God! Satan couldn't do any more to Job, than GOD WOULD ALLOW!
Beloved Brothers & Sisters, along with Job, I too find myself saying, (even as Job did),
".........The Lord gave, & the Lord has taken away; may the Name of the Lord be praised." ( Job1:20) (NIV)
I find myself imploring all of you NEVER to take for granted the total, complete, Omnipotence of God's power!
I know that God has something even better, than the awesome witnessing oppurtunities that I originally had. But I learned a very, very hard lesson, about what happens when we don't truely appreciate what God had given me-a very intimate touch of His AWESOME power.
Let us pray.
"Christ Jesus, we come before You, humbling ourselves before You. You are the Christ, the promised one of Scripture, promised to the world. You are God-who can stand before you? We cry out in repentance for our taking for granted, the touch of Your power, that You have granted everyone who knows You as Lord & Savior. Lord Jesus, it is the most precious gift that many man could ever know. We confess that we all too often take You & everything that You are all too lightly. Christ Jesus, we pray that none of us would ever go through the taking away of Your touch upon our lives! You ARE God! There is NONE beside You! We give You & You alone all praise that You do forgive us & receive us back to yourself when we confess ous sins, for nothing, except Your dying for each one of us, could ever be more important to each one of our lives than the Touch of Your hand upon our lives. May we never experience the loss of what You have granted us, ever again. We love You, Lord Jesus. We love You. In Jesus Name. &
In Jesus Name!
Bill
_________________
"If my people, who are called by My name, will humble themselves & pray, & seek my face, & turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from Heaven, & will forgive their sin, & will heal their land." (II Chronicles 7:14) (NIV)