Bible Study God's Path, those that Walk by faith.

[Brother Mike]

God's path, those that walk by faith.​

By: Brother Mike

Blessings and greetings to everyone that came to read. First if your religious and have no relationship with God you won't get this. For the rest though, this could save you a whole lot of issues in the future.

We all have had those times where we know God said go and do this or move here, or start this project. We might even have gotten like 20 confirmations from our spiritual friends saying that it sounds like the plan of God. So off you go and start that project, sell your house to move out of state, jump in your car looking like the Beverly Hillbilly's to move to some place you never been to only find out there is no provision, no help and it certainly looks like you might have missed God.

I have been there, and know many others that have been there. If God says something we just go and obey right? Of course, but we need to also follow the word given to us and bless God I never saw it before until recently. I could have saved myself a whole mess of issues.

Mat 10:6 But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

There is the command!!! Go!!! Now lots of us just get this part down, we believe we heard God say go and we just go. That is good, but there is more to the passage than just Go. The thought is that when we get there, then God just supernaturally works it all out. We take out loans to start great church projects because we heard God say do the project only to find that the project stays unfinished at our church for years with no more progress.

We need more than just the command to go!!!

A very young couple I knew believed they heard God that they were going to witness to people in Hawaii. There was a group there they thought the Lord wanted them to Join. So they believe they got the command and they by faith drove 3 hours to Chicago to wait at the airport all night in hopes someone would just give them tickets to where they were suppose to go. If God said go, then God provides. I tried to explain to them that is not how it works but they thought I was just full of unbelief.

So they sat there all night with no tickets and barely had enough gas to get back home. They were disappointed and questioned if they actually hear God or not. Not the way to go, for sure.

Jesus said some other things.

Mat 10:9 Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses,
Mat 10:10 Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat.
Mat 10:11 And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, enquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence.
Mat 10:12 And when ye come into an house, salute it.
Mat 10:13 And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you.
Mat 10:14 And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet.


There is more than just the command to go, and believers need to take the time in prayer to get the rest of what to do. Without that we end up trying to follow the plan of God with our own understanding and it just does not work out.

1) don't take purse, or money with you.
2) If a house receive you then stay, if not leave.

Now you know to go and that you will be staying in the houses that receive you. Your place to stay is already figured out and how your going to eat.
We need to take time to get the rest of the directions before we just sell everything and take off with no idea of what to do when we get there.

The command to Go!!!
1Ki 17:2 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:3 Get thee hence, and turn thee eastward, and hide thyself by the brook Cherith, that is before Jordan.

Elijah gets the command to go................ Take heed to this believers, I know it's faith to just go like Abraham into that unknown country and believe God provides everything. I understand, I was like that but we need to get a bit more from the Lord if it's really the Lord. This is how you know that you heard God, and it's right.

Elijah gets the command to go but God gives more.........

1Ki 17:4 And it shall be, that thou shalt drink of the brook; and I have commanded the ravens to feed thee there.

Elijah goes knowing that food will be there brought in by the Ravens to feed him. He knows were to go, and knows how the provision is going to be met. Same thing Jesus told his disciples, the house that receives you will feed you.

1Ki 17:7 And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
1Ki 17:8 And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
1Ki 17:9 Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.

Elijah knows that when the brook dries up, He is to leave and go to Zarephath where a widow is there that will feed him. This is far different than just thinking you heard God on something and take off with no thought or time in seeking the Lord on what to do when you get there.

How many good works have been started in Churches to only find out that there no money, no people, no space is available to help or supply the good work? Pastors just get this idea to start a food pantry thinking it be the will of God then find out that You need money, works, space and other company's willing to supply food.

Hearing God on something is good, but the Lord always tells you where to start and how the thing is going to get working. Just hearing start a food pantry is not good enough and doomed to failure without hearing the How from God.

Also keep in mind the How from God does not always make sense, and we have to be careful with human reasoning getting in the way of direction from the Lord. Having Ravens feed you by the brook does not make much sense. Elijah could have figured he would need to fish, or hunt something and miss all the food the Ravens would have brought in. Hunting and fishing is natural human reasoning that could get in the way of that great project. So, instead of running to the bank to borrow money, we need to make very sure that is what the Lord instructed to do first, otherwise we don't even talk to the bank.

Abraham!!!

Abraham was told to just go, no other direction from the Lord but just go. It's good to obey God and drop everything, move from you home, move to another country, province, or state when the Lord gives direction to just go. However, if we are going to be like Abraham then we need to have the resources that Abraham had.

Gen 13:2 And Abram was very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold.

It was no issue to just pick up and leave for Abraham, because He had the wealth to do so. Often times we try to be like someone when we don't have the backing to do so and it will just get you into frustrations and trouble. God always tells you what to do when you get there or how to get that project started.

We have to stop thinking we hear something from the Lord then run off in our own strength. It will cause us to doubt we heard God, and set us back when we just don't take the time to get that other clear direction on what to do and how to set it up.

A Pastor I worked with started a program for drug users.......................... It never got off the ground, the money dried up and nobody showed but like 2 people. He was perplexed for months thinking that God must not have told him to do it. I was a rough time for him spiritually. Well, God did lay it on his heart to do it, but He did not take the time to find out what to do first, what program to use and how to get it started. He just took the available church funds and tried to get it going.

So if you hear God to quit your job, move, start this project, just stop!!! If it's God today, it will be God tomorrow. Take time to get direction on the how it's going to be supplied, where to move, where to live, what banks to call if any.

God will not just tell you to GO!!! without the how.................................. If we could learn this from the Word, it will save many churches and people of God lots of frustrations. Trust me, I know as I have more than once put myself and family in a bad spot by moving to fast and not getting the rest of the story from God.

Mike.

 

[Chopper]

this could save you a whole lot of issues in the future.

Good Thread Mike, very informative. I'd like to inject two stories that support your teaching. One is about me, and the other is about my son. Shortly after becoming born again, I Felt that the Lord was leading me to go to Bible College to become a pastor. I visited Glen Cove Bible College near Rockland, Maine. The Fall schedule was only a month away. I put me house up for sale, it sold in a week. With the equity I purchased a new mobile home and settled into a park near the college and started my studies. My wife, and 2 children were excited about the move. I enrolled my two teenagers in the Christian acadamy, and my wife got a job right away. I had three tuitions to pay for. My wife's full time job and my part time job did not cover all our needs. Every month money would come in to my mail box at the college, I have no idea from who. I always had just enough. No debt. I graduated college and my children graduated high school and I had a full time church to pastor. Everything just fell into place. It was wonderful. There were other indications that I was in the place that God wanted me to be.

Now for my son. He was convinced, through the Scriptures and reading what other men wrote on "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers". He decided to quit his job with unbelievers and start his own business as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He did quite well at the start but soon found out that he could not pay the bills. So he went back to work full time until he got ahead then quit and resumed his carpenter business. It lasted about six months and he was right back needing a full time job. This has gone on for about ten years. Presently he is a great carpenter and has quite a large clientele and is doing well. If things slow down this Winter he has a part time job always waiting for him.

It's been interesting for him and me to see if that original Scripture that he felt was the Lord's leading or not. He's been through a trial of his faith, but stuck with it and now it looks like the Lord is bringing in customers, I say looks like.

What do you think Mike?

 

[Brother Mike]

It's been interesting for him and me to see if that original Scripture that he felt was the Lord's leading or not. He's been through a trial of his faith, but stuck with it and now it looks like the Lord is bringing in customers, I say looks like.

What do you think Mike?

Well, I would only be guessing unless the Holy Spirit spoke to me about your son in particular. To say he jumped the gun or whatever would be speculation. If I were to minister in the natural with experience and scripture then I would say your son tried to jump on ship way to soon.

What you see very common with churches and Pastors is that they start projects and when things fall apart they claim their faith is being tried and the devil is trying to stop them. They go (YEARS) of hardship and just barely making it, getting ahead then back to the same place again of having nothing.

That is all Hogwash, they missed God and to prideful to admit they missed it big time. What makes it worse is God can't even correct them until they see they messed it up. So add more years to the mix of hardship.

To not be unequally yoked just means that I can work with, for and around the unsaved but they have no part in my personal life. I don't hang with them, I don't fellowship with the unsaved. So your son used a scripture to do what He wanted to really do and that was not work and be his own boss.

God may have even put the business on his heart, but just like I posted above, you need more direction than just "Start your own carpenter business." Often people do hear God then tell God to stand back while they go off and do what they heard and it just does not work out that well.

Here is some things to watch for............

Using an excuse to do the plan of God.

This often comes with a scripture or some other personal conviction to leave where your at and do something else. God does not move us with excuses, but with commands. Often the plan of God is not something we would have even thought about or it had been on our heart but we wait for the right time to move. If I use an excuse to move I will miss it. Just because they play "EVIL" rock and roll at my work is not the Word of the Lord to quit my job and do something else.

I don't feel it anymore.

I don't feel God here anymore, I don't feel led to do this anymore, I don't feel, I don't feel, I don't feel. Those that use the word feel or voice personal discomforts are flesh ruled not spirit led. Beware of them.......... I feel sick today, I feel tired today, I feel, I feel.
I don't ask Mike How he feels, I grab some scripture and by the Word I tell myself How I feel.

Let the weak say I am strong...... Good example.

But God called me to do this, and you want me to do that?

I can't count the times I have seen young people leave a church, place of business, because what they believe God called them to do, they are asked to do something "Beneath" them. A person may tell a Pastor God called them to teach and expect a place to do so, the Pastor should ask them to clean the bathrooms for a year and see if they are really there because God called them to be there. It's a good test of faithfulness and I can hear God just fine when I have to let you up to speak, but not until then.

You son missed it, most of our Great trials by faith are self inflicted. If it does not work out, it's not God. With God it's smooth and easy when chaos is going on around you. Look at Paul, He went every place God called him to go, preached to everyone God called him to preach to, was fed, abounding in great wealth, was poor as dirt and the whole plan of God for his life went smooth and easy. He never ran out of places to preach, He never failed to get the victory over every thing.

Nothing that came Paul's way stopped him He finished the course.

If we start off on something we think God called us to, and we get stopped? We missed it.....

Blessings.

Mike.

 

[JLB]

this could save you a whole lot of issues in the future.

Good Thread Mike, very informative. I'd like to inject two stories that support your teaching. One is about me, and the other is about my son. Shortly after becoming born again, I Felt that the Lord was leading me to go to Bible College to become a pastor. I visited Glen Cove Bible College near Rockland, Maine. The Fall schedule was only a month away. I put me house up for sale, it sold in a week. With the equity I purchased a new mobile home and settled into a park near the college and started my studies. My wife, and 2 children were excited about the move. I enrolled my two teenagers in the Christian acadamy, and my wife got a job right away. I had three tuitions to pay for. My wife's full time job and my part time job did not cover all our needs. Every month money would come in to my mail box at the college, I have no idea from who. I always had just enough. No debt. I graduated college and my children graduated high school and I had a full time church to pastor. Everything just fell into place. It was wonderful. There were other indications that I was in the place that God wanted me to be.

Now for my son. He was convinced, through the Scriptures and reading what other men wrote on "Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers". He decided to quit his job with unbelievers and start his own business as a carpenter and cabinet maker. He did quite well at the start but soon found out that he could not pay the bills. So he went back to work full time until he got ahead then quit and resumed his carpenter business. It lasted about six months and he was right back needing a full time job. This has gone on for about ten years. Presently he is a great carpenter and has quite a large clientele and is doing well. If things slow down this Winter he has a part time job always waiting for him.

It's been interesting for him and me to see if that original Scripture that he felt was the Lord's leading or not. He's been through a trial of his faith, but stuck with it and now it looks like the Lord is bringing in customers, I say looks like.

What do you think Mike?

It sounds like your son is very diligent and persistent. That is awesome.


Here is a word from The Lord Jesus to the multitudes that has some instructions within this call to discipleship.

27 And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- 29 lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, 30 saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.' 31 Or what king, going to make war against another king, does not sit down first and consider whether he is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty thousand? 32 Or else, while the other is still a great way off, he sends a delegation and asks conditions of peace. 33 So likewise, whoever of you does not forsake all that he has cannot be My disciple. Luke 14:27-33

For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it-- lest, after he has laid the foundation, and is not able to finish, all who see it begin to mock him, saying, 'This man began to build and was not able to finish.'

In the business world, for those that have a full time job and would like to have a business of their own, it would be good to evaluate what is needed in the way of tools and equipment necessary for the carpentry trade.

Begin to do work in your spare time and with the extra money purchase the necessary equipment needed for the full time business. Develope a good reputation and customer base.

Meanwhile, be a faithful witness at the full time job with the unbelievers by doing excellent work and having a good record of being on time and producing for the owner of the company. Pray for the co-workers salvation and the owners success. In due season God will bring you so much business of your own, you will have no choice but to quit the full time job.

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:12

May God bless you and your son. May he prosper and be in health, even as his soul prospers.


JLB

 

[Brother Mike]

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:12

Yep, try to skip this step after you get the plan of God, and your gonna run into issues.

This thread is most likely to spiritually advanced for most here because you actually have to hear God to understand and want to hear God.

God shows people things in their path down the road.

1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

So we see the goal toward the end, but there is a path that is before us first that needs to be followed. I don't know how many times I have heard that I have to listen to someone just because God said they were a prophet. No, if they stay on the path and years of faithfulness then the anointing to enter in that ministry becomes available.

Character built along the way will prove the calling, not the calling, making the character.



Mike.

 

[JLB]

And if you have not been faithful in what is another man's, who will give you what is your own? Luke 16:12

Yep, try to skip this step after you get the plan of God, and your gonna run into issues.

This thread is most likely to spiritually advanced for most here because you actually have to hear God to understand and want to hear God.

God shows people things in their path down the road.

1Co 2:11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.
1Co 2:12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

So we see the goal toward the end, but there is a path that is before us first that needs to be followed. I don't know how many times I have heard that I have to listen to someone just because God said they were a prophet. No, if they stay on the path and years of faithfulness then the anointing to enter in that ministry becomes available.

Character built along the way will prove the calling, not the calling, making the character.



Mike.

Glad to hear this Brother Mike.

Reminds me of a scripture that the Lord taught me about early on.

12 But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: John 1:12

We have a right or power to become sons of God.

This denotes a process.

The three-fold fulness of the process includes:

Perceiving the process.

Embracing the process.

Enduring the process.


This can be true of any long lasting fruitful work.

The wilderness is the place of preparation for purpose.

Where you get character to handle what God wants to give you.

Whether wealth for the Kingdom, or Power for ministry.

Both of these will destroy a person that has not been prepared to handle either one.

The process.


JLB

 

[Brother Mike]

Both of these will destroy a person that has not been prepared to handle either one.

The process.

Gal_4:3 Even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world:

So much revelation for a Post-tribber. How is that even possible.



Mike.