There’s a lot more driven by lust than merely sex – though that appears to be a major motivator in the today’s deluge of uninhibited, irresponsible sex, which is both propelled by and contributing to the plethora of movies, TV shows, and music that focus on sexual relationships and unbridled passions. But, there’s a lot more to the problem of “lust”, which is a driving force in the 21st Century world, than libido.

One of our favorite comedies is “What About Bob?” staring Bill Murray. There is a scene where “Bob” is trying to convince his psychiatrist that he has to have treatment right away; he says: “You’ve got to help me. Come on: I need! I need! I want! I want! ”

This is really what lust is all about – perceived “need” which is no more than strong desire for something.

Like other typical American women, I am somewhat fashion conscious. Though I often don’t dress in the latest styles (I can’t afford to), I am very conscious of my lack of what’s “in” at any given time. It’s easy for me to be content with my wardrobe contents, until I go shopping. When I walk through the mall I can see at least 20 clothing items that cause me to relate to Bob’s plea: “I need, I need – I want, I want”.

After such a foray, I return home, look in my closet, and discover that nothing I have is “in style”. And I make myself a promise that as soon as I have a little extra money, I’ll revisit such and such a store and update my now pitiful wardrobe. I am the victim of a small elitist group of fashion designers, who don’t know or care about me personally, and who through their latest creations have relegated everything in my closet to become obsolete in one or two fashion seasons.

Clothing may not be your hang-up. Your area of desire may be houses, or cars, or gadgets, or food, or sex, or gossip, or popularity, or success, or control, or something else you don’t have enough of. But if you look closely, “lust” is there, hidden under the surface of your spirituality . . . maybe even connected to your spirituality. Perhaps your lust is for Biblical knowledge, spiritual experiences, or recognition of your service or spiritual gifts – “the pride of life”.

“For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh and the lust of the eyes and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.”  1 John 2:16

We need to learn to desire things of eternal value; to be as concerned about the clothing of our spirits as we are about material clothing. Jesus said:

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you.” Matt. 6:33

All of these lusts – of flesh, eyes, and pride, are not of the Father, but of the world.

“And the world passes away, and the lust of it.” 1 John 2:17

So, what desires do you need to surrender today? What is it you just can’t get enough of?

Prayer:  Father, deliver me from greed for possessions or reputation, except that the possessions be the fruits of your Holy Spirit, and that the reputation be as a child of God who loves others as you love them. May the strongest desires I feel, be for things of your kingdom.

©2012, Marcy Alves

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“Why did you do that to your sister?”

“She had my truck.”

“I told you before not to be so rough with her, she’s only a baby. Why did you push her down on the floor?”

“I didn’t push her, she fell.”

“You pushed her.”

“No, I didn’t.”

“I saw you push her.”

“Unh-uh, she just fell.”

At this response the boy’s now exasperated mother takes him in hand, and applies appropriate correction.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry!!” he wails through tears.

As his mother leaves the room she turns to see the boy walk to his sister and give her a shove which again sends her sprawling.  Looking up, then and catching his mom’s eye he says, ”Sissy fell down.”

And there he stands: rebellious . . . unrepentant . . . un-forgiven  . . . destined to undergo further discipline.  Discipline not only for disobedience, but for a defiant spirit; for an act of unkindness; for pretending a lie is the truth. . . when forgiveness and restoration could be his immediate reward.

Liar, liar, pants on fire, when there could have been hugs and kisses of forgiveness.

There seems to be a pattern in the rebellious human nature of sin and deception. Remember the children of Israel in their escape from Egypt and the flight into the desert, led by Moses?

They were miraculously delivered from Pharaoh’s army through the Red Sea; food and water were provided in the desert, though there was little-to-no natural food or water in that desolate place; shoes and clothing did not wear out during years of desert wandering; God’s very presence continued with them in the cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night; they were protected from sickness and disease during their time of wandering as they followed the laws of God.

Though they had every necessary provision at each point of need, they complained against God and against Moses, His servant. Though they had grumbled and complained often, at the first opportunity the community sinned against God and worshipped an idol, descending into debauchery of the worst kind.

As I read the account of what happened in the camp among the people while Moses was on the mountain with God for 40 days and nights, I was amazed that Aaron, Moses’ brother (who was left in charge during Moses’ absence) succumbed to the pressure of the crowds.

When the Israelites complained to Aaron that Moses had deserted them, Aaron took an offering from the people of gold jewelry, melted it down and made an idol in the shape of a calf- which he “fashioned with a tool”. He then said,

“These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt” (Exodus 32:4), announcing a festival “to the Lord” for the next day!

The next day the Israelites sinned before God after offering burnt offerings and fellowship offerings! They entered into sexual orgies and revelry.

God was angry with them and told Moses that they would be destroyed for their sin. Moses pleaded for the lives of the people, reminding God of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and His promise that their descendants would be given the land of promise for their inheritance.

When Moses descended the mountain and saw first-hand the revelry of the Israelites, he broke the two tablets on which God had written the Ten Commandments, tore down the calf- idol and burned it in a fire, pulverized the gold into dust which he scattered on the water and made the people drink it.

Aaron’s explanation of the idol was:  “. . . they gave me the gold [jewelry] and I threw it into the fire, and out came that calf!” He never mentioned the fact that he had fashioned the calf with the tool.  Liar, liar – pants on fire.

As judgment on the people who participated in the idol worship, Moses commanded the Levites to kill about 3,000 of them that day. The next day the Lord struck the remaining people who had worshipped the idol with a plague.

Perhaps realizing that his compliance with the crowd had resulted in the deaths of so many people was all the punishment that Aaron needed for his sins, but he later was not allowed to enter the Promise Land. Sin has consequences.

However, when the Tabernacle was built in the desert, God instructed that Aaron be consecrated for service at the altar of sacrifice and in the Holy of Holies where the Ark of the Covenant rested.

Our God is a forgiving God when we repent of our sins and He longs to restore us to fellowship with Him.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. If we say we have not sinned, we make Him a liar and His word is not in us.” 1 John 1:9-10

In the first chapter of Romans we are told that people living a life of sexual sin have,

“exchanged the truth of God for a lie and worshipped and served the creature, rather than the Creator”

. . . even though God’s handwork gives them all the proof they need that He exists. They lie to themselves and it results in lives of debauchery and licentiousness. Liar, liar, souls on fire.

Prayer:  Father, help us, your children, to be able to recognize sin in our lives; to agree with you when you point out our sins to us and to not make you a liar.  Help us to put down our pride so that we can confess humbly to you and receive your Spirit’s cleansing now, so that we will not incur your judgment later.

©2012, Marcy Alves

David and I were living in Kentucky for the first few years of our married life and had occasion to visit Mammoth Cave. We entered the cave system with a tour group. After everyone was inside where no outside light penetrated, the tour guide turned off the electric lights. I had never been in darkness that was, well, so dark. After about a minute of pitch darkness, a small child began to whimper; then the tour guide lighted a match. What a difference! The match struck in the dark cave caused the darkness to disappear: light and darkness cannot co-exist.

The tour guide said that after a certain amount of time in total darkness, the human eye straining for light would begin to see phosphenes – which are flashes of light induced by a stimulation of the retina – people can experience light without any real light entering the eye.

There are people who think they are walking in spiritual light – in fellowship with God – who are really walking in darkness; they are actually walking in sinful things (darkness), but are experiencing flashes of “light” that seem to be indications of God’s presence.

“If we say we have fellowship with him while we walk in darkness, we lie and do not live according to the truth.”  1 John 1.6

What is fellowship with God?  In Scripture, fellowship with God is likened to walking in light (1John 1:7).   “Walking in darkness” excludes fellowship with God. Why? Because where there is light, there is no darkness; where there is darkness, there is no light: they are mutually exclusive.

Is fellowship with God equated to attending church services? Sitting in a Sunday School class? Giving money to the church? Singing in the choir?  Helping the poor? Serving as a deacon or elder or Bible teacher?

No. It is possible to do all those things and have no fellowship with God at all, just as it is possible to be a wife or husband and go through all the external rituals, including sex, with no touching of spirits – no fellowship.

Fellowship with God is communion with Him . . . it is enjoying His presence as you would enjoy the company of someone you love, who reciprocates that love.  Fellowship is possible when there is nothing between you and God which blocks, shadows, or causes pain or embarrassment. Fellowship is being conscience-clean in God’s presence, not cringing in fear of exposure of some hidden sin. Fellowship is peace with God.

We cannot fellowship with God and deliberately continue in those things which characterize lives that have no spiritual light. For sin destroys communion with God: it is darkness and cannot co-exist with light. If we walk in sin and say everything is all right between us and God, we are lying to God and to others, but mostly to ourselves.

Where are you walking? Are you experiencing true fellowship with God in the place where you are walking, or are you just seeing spiritual “phosphenes”?

Prayer:  Father, continually shine your light in my life so that I will not walk in darkness. Shine your light on any sin in my life – expose it so that it can be confessed and my heart can be swept clean by your Holy Spirit.

©2012, Marcy Alves

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“That which was from the beginning…..”  1 John 1:1

If you read the book of 1 John – one of the 3 short epistles that the Apostle John wrote – you’ll discover that he made frequent use of the phrase “from the beginning”.  The word of God was “from the beginning”, the commandment to love was “from the beginning”, the devil sinned “from the beginning” and God’s love for us was “from the beginning”. The beginning of “time” as we know it.

When I was a child, I thought that things that I knew from my “beginning” on earth would never change – my mother, my father, my family, our home – I thought they would be there forever.

But my mother died while I was in college and my father succumbed to cancer a few years later.

As I sat in a swing which hung from a large tree in the yard of my father’s home, knowing my father would soon die and that the family property would be sold, it struck me that nothing of this earth remains forever.  A sadness began to envelope me; then God brought back to my mind words I had read in a book written by C. S. Lewis . . . “Don’t ever let your happiness depend on something that can be taken away from you.”  In other words, don’t let your happiness depend on things that change.

What are the things that don’t change?

God does not change. His promises do not change.  The power of the cross of Christ to transform lives doesn’t change.  And the power of love to overcome evil never changes. God is the same as He was from before the beginning of this world as we know it – as James 1:17 says of Him

“there is no variableness or shadow due to change” with God.

For those who have a committed relationship with God through faith in the sacrificial death of Jesus on the cross, his resurrection from the dead, the indwelling of God’s Holy Spirit in their reborn hearts, and a solid belief in the return of our Lord, fear and dread of unknown and unwanted change have had their stingers removed.

Faith in our Father’s love for us will rise victorious over any apprehension of the future, as we learn to rest in Him and hold on to truth which has been there from “the beginning”.

“Let what you heard from the beginning abide in you,” (1 John 2:24)  . . . and His peace will be yours in the midst of constant change.

Prayer: Lord, keep my thoughts focused on things which are eternal – that which will be here after the end of things as I know them now – “that which was from the beginning”.

©2012, Marcy Alves

We have spent some time in my two previous posts following the life of Moses, his rescues by God, and God’s ultimate plan for his life.  In my last post, God’s Call and Our Excuses pt.1, we looked at the first 3 of 4 excuses that Moses made to God for why He has the wrong man. Let’s look at #4.

• Excuse #4 - I am not qualified for this job.

“O Lord, I have never been eloquent, neither in the past nor since you have spoken to your servant. I am slow of speech and tongue.”  Ex. 4:10

Maybe you can identify with Moses on this point: God has called you to a task or ministry that requires more than you think you have to offer; public speaking, sharing your faith with someone, teaching a children’s class, working with people in a capacity where you need to speak – but you don’t think well on your feet. You get tongue-tied, you stutter.

Some people who are eloquent may not bother to consult with the Lord before speaking and may end up not saying what God wants them to say. It’s always best to replace self-confidence with God-confidence.

God had an answer for Moses:

“Who gave man his mouth? Who makes him deaf or mute? Who gives him sight or makes him blind? Is it not I, the Lord? ¹² Now go; I will help you speak and will teach you what to say.” Ex. 4:11

It sounds like God has all the bases covered. Could anyone ask for more than that? Moses did.

• Out of Excuses – the Final Plea

Moses’ final attempt to avoid God’s call on his life is in the form of a plea:

“O Lord, please send someone else to do it.” Ex. 4:13

Have you ever bargained with God to do get someone else for the job?

God gets angry with Moses; the Scripture says God “burned with anger against Moses”. Why did God get angry with Moses? Because Moses was still focused on his own weaknesses and the comfort of the predictable life into which he had settled. What would you expect from an 80-year-old man? (see Acts 7:29-30) Apparently God’s call disregards all of our limitations, including age and personal comfort.

Moses did not want the job God was calling him to do.  He didn’t want to be a leader of this unruly nation. He was not a confident man at this time in his life and did not trust God to get him through it.

God provides a solution, but He does not relieve Moses of the responsibility to fulfill the call for which he has been rescued those many years ago. God tells Moses that He will send someone else – with Moses, not in place of Moses.  God adds Moses’ older brother, Aaron, to the team as the mouthpiece.

God’s call on your life is your appointment, not someone’s else. God has rescued you and equipped you for the “good works which He has prepared beforehand” for you to accomplish.  If the call seems too hard for you, it probably is – so that you will learn to rely on God’s strength, not your own.

Moses was a reluctant servant all along the way – God knew his weaknesses and worked through Moses in spite of all his fears, insecurities, obstinacy and weaknesses.  The desert experience is a learning process for Moses throughout, and he becomes a powerful leader for Israel.  It was his friendship with and dependency on God, developed during that 40-year desert trek, that is a lesson for us today.

Moses established tent meetings in which he conferred with God for the needs of the people; when he emerged from those meetings, his face glowed with such a radiance that the people could not look at him – he had to wear a veil to hide the glory of God which shone forth from his face.  He had learned submission to God and fulfillment in following God’s call on his life.

What about you? Has God called you to a task, a duty, a life of sacrifice for the cause of His kingdom? Have you substituted other service in place of the specific purpose for which God has rescued you? It’s in total obedience to the call of God that the glow will come into your life.

What excuse are you making to the Lord for why you are not following His call?

©2012, Marcy Alves

Let’s look at the verb form of the word “call”.  To “call” is to summon a person – as a phone call, when the ring-tone summons you to answer.  To call is also “to select or appoint for a specific office, duty, or employment” – as a “call to arms” gathers soldiers or citizen militias for battle readiness.

So a “call” from God is a summons, a selection, and an appointment to a specific area of service or a special task. A good example of a call is from the life of Saul of the New Testament, who later became the Apostle Paul:

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God . . . “ Romans 1:1.

A “call” begins with a personal experience with God: first He calls us to enter a relationship with Him. Some respond affirmatively to that call – others answer either “No” or “Later”.

For those who have responded with a “Yes” to the call to salvation and are then summoned to a specific duty or ministry office,  this second “call” will be answered with either obedience or disobedience. There is no middle ground to a call of God on your life – you either do what He asks or you don’t.

There are many excuses that I have heard over the years from people whom God has called to serve Him in a particular place, with a special duty or task; I’ve probably made some excuses myself. Why do spirit-born Christians sometimes say “No” to God’s call?

We’re going to look at an Old Testament saint who was called to a specific mission and responded, “No thanks” to God, with a head full of excuses.

In my blog post entitled Rescued for a Reason, we looked at the early part of the life of Moses. We saw how Moses had been rescued from death three times by God.

Now we find Moses, after 40 years of a shepherd’s life, standing before a burning bush in the wilderness. During this personal encounter with the Holy One of Israel, Moses is issued a call by God to a specific task – to go to Egypt to free the Israelites from Pharaoh’s enslavement.

Moses opens his arsenal of excuses and explanations as to why God picked the wrong man.

• Excuse #1 – Why me?

His first excuse is in the form of a question:

“But Moses said to God, ‘Who am I, that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?’ ” Exodus 1:11

The implication is “I’m nobody”. Did Moses think God was not already aware of that? God frequently takes nobodies and makes them into somebodies in His kingdom plan.  But God, understanding that Moses is really afraid to return to Egypt, answers this excuse with: “I will be with you.” What more can you ask for? Apparently quite a bit more.

Moses has bad memories of his last experience in Egypt when he killed an Egyptian who was beating an Israelite slave. The deed was known among both the Egyptians and the Israelites; neither took kindly to Moses’ rash deed. Another question to delay obedience:

• Excuse #2 – Is this really you, God?

You can’t blame Moses for asking the question, “Who are you anyway?”  It’s not every day you encounter a burning, talking bush. Sometimes I wish God would speak that clearly to me. I can imagine Moses doing a quick mental scan: he asks,

“Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

Apparently, at this point in his life, Moses had not been spending time with the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, or he would have known who was commissioning him. It’s only after stepping out in obedience to the call of God that Moses later becomes the man with whom “God spoke face-to-face, as with a friend.” Ex. 33:11

God patiently answers Moses’ question,

“I AM WHO I AM. [In some translations, I AM WHO I WILL BE.]  This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I AM has sent me to you.’ ” Exodus 3:14

God then gives Moses his full instructions; to whom he is to deliver the message and exactly what he is to say.

• Excuse #3 – What if they don’t believe me?

Moses stalls again with the question:

“What if they do not believe me or listen to me and say, ‘The Lord did not appear to you’?”

There are those of us who always imagine the worst outcome when we see the assigned task as a hard one. We call ourselves “realist”. In reality, we’re sometimes just too scared to try. We fear rejection. We fear failure. If you don’t try, you won’t fail, right? But if you don’t try, you also don’t succeed. We seldom think of not trying as a lack of trust in God.

We haven’t yet learned that when God calls us, He will give us what we need to carry out the assignment, even though there can be pain and disappointments in the process. Many people opt out when the going gets tough. If God has indeed called us to a place of service, we’ll never be really fulfilled until we wholeheartedly enter into the call.

God then reveals another part of His plan to Moses: He demonstrates a series of miracles which will convince the elders of Israel that God indeed has sent him. Moses’ staff turns into a snake and back to a staff; his hand becomes leprous and then whole again; then God says that water from the Nile will become blood as Moses pours it onto the ground.

Moses is still not convinced.

We’ll look at the closing arguments between God and Moses in part 2 of God’s Call and Our Excuses. You may see yourself in those closing discussions. Will Moses fulfill God’s call on his life willingly? What will it take to persuade him?

Have you been rescued by God; seen miracles in your life, but remain skeptical that God will take care of you and your family if you answer His call on your life?

©2012, Marcy Alves

Related articles

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My Old Testament reading this morning was in Exodus chapters 1:15-2:25, which covers early part of the life of Moses.

At the time Moses was born to his Hebrew parents, the Pharaoh of Egypt had issued an edict for all baby boys born to Hebrews to be killed. At first the mid-wives were instructed to kill them at birth, but when that order was not obeyed, Pharaoh ordered that all Hebrew boy babies be thrown into the Nile River.

Moses’ mother kept him secret for three months, but when she realized he could no longer be hidden, she made a basket of papyrus sealed with pitch, placed her baby in the basket and put it among the reeds near the bank of the Nile. Pharaoh’s daughter came with her handmaids to bathe in the river, spotted the basket and saved the baby to be raised as her own son.

Moses’ sister, who had been set at watch over the baby, volunteered to get a wet-nurse for her brother and returned with Moses’ own mother, to whom Pharaoh’s daughter entrusted the child. There was another perk: Moses’ mom was paid to raise the child until he was older, at which time he became the son of Pharaoh’s daughter and was raised in the Pharaoh’s court.

Moses had been saved for God’s future purpose, which took years to be revealed.

When Moses was age 40 (see Acts 7:23) he went out to where the Hebrew slaves were working at hard labor and saw an Egyptian foreman beating one of the Hebrew slaves. Making sure no one was in view to observe his action, Moses killed the Egyptian and buried him in the sand.

The Old Testament Scripture, Numbers 32:23 says: “. . . be sure your sin will find you out.” – as Moses was soon to discover.

The next day when Moses went out to watch the workers, he saw a Hebrew beating another Hebrew and asked the slave why he was beating his fellow worker. The slave answered: “Who made you ruler and judge over us? Are you thinking of killing me as you killed the Egyptian?” Moses knew he was in trouble.

Pharaoh got wind of Moses’ crime and tried to kill him; Moses escaped and went to live in Midian. There he met the daughters of a Midianite priest, who invited him home for dinner. Moses was invited to live in the priest’s home, married one of his daughters and settled down for another 40 years.

God had rescued Moses three times: at birth, from the Nile River, and from the hand of a very angry Pharaoh. Now God was about to call-in the favors. And Moses was about to discover the reason for God’s intervention in his life.

When I was a child I was saved me from drowning twice, I was spared from any serious injury in two bad car accidents in which my cars were totaled, and I’m sure there are many other God-rescues of which I am totally unaware.

Why did God save me? I have asked myself that question many times since I came to faith in Christ. Oh, I realize that God saved me because He loves me. But there is a sense that He has a purpose for me here on earth. I have committed myself to Him and seek to be a consistent witness of His love and grace to others. But there are those specific times, places, activities and events when I sense what His purpose is for my earth-life; as when He uses me to introduce Him to people around me – to put their hands into His.

Have you ever thought about why God saved you? If you have never experienced a rescue from physical death, perhaps you have experienced God’s rescue from spiritual death through the gift of Jesus who died on the cross to bring you into a relationship with God.

If you are wondering why you are here on this earth, why God has spared you so many times over the course of your life, if you have not yet found your purpose for being alive – ask Him. It may be that He is waiting for you to want to discover His purpose in creating you.

If you have already asked God what your purpose is, perhaps there is more character building that is needed in your life before you can be trusted with God’s plan. Or, maybe you are right where He wants you, living His plan for your life.

It may also be that, knowing what God knows about you, He hasn’t revealed His plan because you would not be willing to do what He asks of you.

Maybe you have sensed His calling on your life and have delayed or said “No.” to His plan because you haven’t yet figured out that life works best when you surrender to His will in total trust.

In my next blog, we’ll look at how God revealed His plan to Moses – how He called Moses to a specific mission and why Moses said, “No thanks.”

Are you willing to take the step to ask God what the reason is that He has rescued you?

©2012, Marcy Alves

Luke 18:8 asks an important question: “When the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

I’d like to rephrase the question: if Jesus came back today or tomorrow, would He find faith on the earth? If you pay attention to world news – written, audio and visual; if you have conversations with people around you at work, school, community events, or the local grocery store – you would probably answer “Not much.” to that question.

Narrowing the question further: if Jesus came back today or tomorrow, would He find faith in the church? I don’t know about your experience, but it appears to me that the American church seems to give more credence to secular professionals than to God when it comes to personal or national issues; whether it is health problems, marriage issues, financial difficulties, mental health issues, government intervention, joblessness, parenting, interpersonal relationships, etc. For the Spirit-born believer, these are really spiritual issues that need operative faith.  But for many, if not the majority of worshippers in the American church, handling these issues often leaves faith out of the equation.

Let’s make this question personal: if Jesus came back today or tomorrow, would He find faith in your heart  regarding the issues mentioned above? Would He find you trusting Him for personal, national and international problems that seem to dominate the news and our lives today?

Let’s take a look at how faith is defined in the Bible in Heb. 11:1 :

“Faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen.  KJV

“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.”  NIV

Faith is not believing in God; it’s believing God.

Faith is a funny thing: you don’t really know if you have it until you need it. It’s only when faced with the opportunity to act on it that you find whether or not you have it.

The Scripture says that “without faith it is impossible to please God, because the person that comes to God must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who diligently seek Him”. (Hebrews 11:6)

2 Cor. 5:7 states:  “We live by faith, not by sight.”

Helen Keller wrote: “Life is either a daring adventure or nothing.

When is the last time you did something daring, based on faith, not knowing how it would turn out, but entrusting yourself to God – having full confidence that He is not only able, but willing to see that you get what you are trusting for?

Can your life be described as a “walk of faith”? Or would those who know you best say that you tend to be motivated more by anxiety, stress, fear, doubt and discouragement than by faith? Or do you have so much materially that you don’t have to trust God for provision? You’re walking by sight.

Gideon told his soldiers in Judges 7:17 that things would work out in their military maneuver if they would:

“Watch me and do what I do. When I get to the edge of the [enemy] camp, do what I do.”

All sorts of miracles took place in the Bible – because of someone’s faith. It caused them to step out and do – often not knowing exactly what would come next.

Could you say to those who know your life most intimately, “Watch me and do what I do and everything will be okay?” When it comes to faith, you can’t pass on what you don’t have.

The eyes of faith look for God in the most obscure places –in the midst of the most challenging circumstances.  I don’t mean to infer that God causes the sickness, pain, failure, or loss – but that God is there with you in it. That He will bring something good out of it. That He will see you through it. That God keeps His promises to His children – as we appropriate them through faith.

“Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever.  Eph. 3:20-21

”Fear not for I am with you; do not be dismayed for I am your God. I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” Is. 10:41

God wants to bring you from where you are to a better place.  But first He needs to develop in you a faith that is worth giving away – a faith-walk that you would not mind someone following, because you know it will lead them into God’s throne room.

Whatever you have faced or are going to face ahead, God wants to use that in somebody’s life besides yours. God wants to use your faith-walk with Him to encourage others.

What does your faith-walk look like? Does the way you live influence those around you – family, friends, acquaintances – to a deeper life of dependence on God or dependence on people?

More than anything else in my life, if Jesus returns, I want Him to find faith on the earth, faith in the church – and faith in me that “. . .  is being sure of what [I] hope for and certain of what [I} do not see.”

What kind of faith do you have?  What kind of faith do you want?

©2012, Marcy Alves

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I enjoy the narrative portions of Scripture – the stories of the people of God from the Old Testament period; the journal reports in the four New Testament Gospels that reveal the character, ministry, and teachings of Jesus; and the book of Acts which traces the development of the church –the “body of Christ”.  I especially love the biographies and the history of the nation of Israel, the Old Testament people-of-God. Last week I read in Genesis chapter 28 about Jacob, son of Isaac, son of Abraham.

Jacob and Esau were fraternal twins. At their birth Esau came out first.  Then Jacob, holding onto Esau’s heel, made his appearance; hence his name Jacob, which means “he grasps the heel” or figuratively, “he deceives’ – and he certainly lived up to his name.

Esau was red and hairy and Jacob was not. Esau became a man of the outdoors and a skilled hunter, while Jacob hung around the tents; he was more into things like cooking.

One day Esau returned from one of his expeditions to the open country and he was famished. Jacob had made a pot of stew and the aroma was more than Esau could withstand – he begged his chef-brother for a bowl of stew. Jacob, being somewhat of an opportunist, saw his chance to one-up his brother.  He offered to give Esau some stew in exchange for his birthright – which was a pretty high price for beef stew. Though he was a twin, Esau, having come from the womb first, was considered the “firstborn” and the rights of the firstborn were his – his “birthright”, which involved such things as inheritance, headship in the family when his father died, and the authority of that position.

Esau replied, “What good is the birthright to me?” The Scripture says, “So Esau despised his birthright.” – it was of little consequence to him when he was hungry.  He was a man who lived by his appetites.

Jacob displays his “grasping” tendency as he takes advantage of Esau’s appetite-vulnerability. And Esau sells Jacob his birthright for a bowl of stew.

Much later, when Isaac was old and his eyesight was failing, thinking his time of death might be near, he sent Esau out to hunt some wild game to make a stew for him. Isaac told Esau that when he returned and served the meal to him, he (Isaac) would give Esau his blessing – the blessing of the firstborn.

Rebekah overheard the conversation between Isaac and Esau (his favorite son), and tells Jacob (her favorite son) to quickly prepare some stew and to serve his father, pretending to be Esau. She thinks of all the details, including gloves of goatskins (to simulate Esau’s hairy hands) and dressing Jacob in some of Esau’s dirty clothes – Isaac said he could “smell” his son Esau when Jacob served the stew.

Though Isaac wonders about the quickness of “Esau’s” hunt, and is a bit suspicious about the timber of Jacob’s voice, Jacob’s deceptive costume and skillful lies persuade his father that Jacob is indeed Esau. Isaac then pronounces a blessing on Jacob, whom he believes to be his eldest son.

Later Esau returns, prepares his dad’s favorite stew and brings it to him. The plot is now exposed and Isaac, “trembling violently” explains that he has already given the eldest son’s blessing to Jacob; a blessing given, even under such deception, cannot be called back.

Esau is furious with Jacob and holds a murderous grudge against him.  He plots to kill Jacob as soon as his own aged father is dead and the period of mourning is over.

Rebekah, getting wind of Esau’s plan, warns Jacob and persuades Isaac to send him off to her relatives to find a “proper wife”. Isaac sends Jacob off with another blessing – a blessing of fruitfulness and prosperity.

The Scripture does not say whether anyone went with Jacob. It seems that he traveled alone, as no servants are mentioned.

In a place called Luz Jacob stops to spend the night, sleeping out under the stars, with a rock for a pillow. He is now estranged from his family, not knowing if he will ever see his aging father alive again. He has no road maps, only the stars and sun to guide him. No streetlights, no friendly faces along the way. He must have felt afraid for he was not an outdoorsman, and as far as we know had never traveled far from the tents of his parents. You might be thinking, “He got what he deserves, the liar, the cheat.” But let’s not be too hasty.  God desires mercy rather than judgement.

Casting blame aside, can you relate to Jacob’s fearful journey? Being forced by circumstances to face a situation you are totally unequipped to handle.  Alone in a place with no one to rescue you?  Knowing that you are vulnerable to wild animals or bandits, without knowledge of how to fight back? Traveling in darkness and unfamiliar territory and heading to a place where you have never been?

There is evidence in the narration that Jacob had not before this time developed a personal faith in God.

Jacob lies down to sleep and has a vivid dream.  In the dream he sees a stairway into heaven, resting on the earth. Angels are going up and down the stairs and the Lord stands at the top of the stairs. The Lord speaks to Jacob and identifies himself as:

“the Lord, the God of your father Abraham and the God of Isaac.”

The Lord does not say, “I am your God.” Yet, God makes promises to Jacob of blessing, success, prosperity, numerous progeny, and protection. He ends by saying,

“. . . wherever you go I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I done what I have promised you.”

Jacob awakens from his dream and is amazed! In spite of all he has done, taking advantage of his brother, his lies and his deception of his aging father, stealing what was not lawfully his – in spite of all this, God chooses to bless him! He has a destiny.

Jacob’s response is found in Gen. 28:16-19: “When Jacob awoke from his sleep, he thought, ‘Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.’ ¹⁷ He was afraid and said, ‘How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God; this is the gate of heaven.” ¹⁸ Early the next morning Jacob took the stone he had placed under his head and set it up as a pillar and poured oil on top of it. ¹⁹He called that place Bethel . . .” – which means house of God.

“Surely the Lord is in this place, and I was not aware of it.” Does this thought speak something to you as it did to me?

Jacob was in a place of danger, all alone, uncertain about his future – a situation he had never been in before – yet, he could say, “the Lord is in this place with me, even though I was not aware of it.”

How about you? Are you living in a place that is unfamiliar territory? Are you uncertain about your future? Do you feel alone in it? Are you afraid? Are you wondering where God is?

If we could only see behind this place we think of as the “real world” into where God and the hosts of angels dwell. If we could get a vision of that realm of timelessness, all of our doubts, frustrations, and fears would end.

Wherever you are, whatever you are going through right now – shattered dreams, broken relationships, sickness, lack of a job, piles of bills with no way to pay them, tiredness and discouragement, ask God to give you a dream or revelation of Him. Ask the Lord to cause you to be aware of His presence in the midst of your troubling circumstances. Learn to call the place where you are, “Bethel” – the house of God – and you will begin to experience His presence there.

God was true to His promises to Jacob and his descendants, as the Scriptures reveal in the Old and New Testaments. And He will keep His promises to those who trust in Him, to those who embrace the life He has given them in the sacrifice of His Son and the gift of His Holy Spirit. And that includes you.

How about you? Have you found God in a wilderness of your experience? Share how God has revealed Himself to you in the midst of bad circumstances. I’d love to hear from you.

©2011, Marcy Alves

It never ceases to amaze me that there are drivers who continue their open-highway speed in a lane that has clearly been marked with such signs as “Lane ends in 100 feet, merge right”. I’ve seen drivers increase their speed at the appearance of such a sign, perhaps to get ahead of as many cars as possible before merging? Don’t they realize there is a time to slow down?

Life often requires lane changes or detours at the most inconvenient and unexpected times. Lost jobs, sickness or physical injury, loss of a loved one, a failing business, lost opportunities or abilities due to aging – there are many causes for such life interferences, resulting in failed enterprises or unfulfilled dreams.

What do you do when these slow-downs, lane changes or merges happen on your road from here to who knows where? Do you keep moving on at the same speed? Do you speed up, thinking you can get further along before the inevitable merge?  Do you slow down, move over and keep going ahead? Do you pull over to the side of the highway you’ve been traveling on, get out a map and see what your options are for finding a detour around the confusion?

Do you start questioning God? Asking why He let this happen to you? Doubting that He loves you?  Wondering if He will abandon you to wander along on your own?

I frankly don’t believe that there are accidental merges, lane changes, or detours where God’s purpose for my life is concerned.  I don’t know if our Father plans them, or if – as with Job in the Bible – God allows our enemy, Satan, to run out a bit on his leash. To question God’s ability to manage these “unexpected” events in our lives would be to doubt either His unparalleled power or His perfect love.  I don’t believe that these detours are without purpose – whether they are planned or merely permitted.

More important than our “happiness” or “success in life” is the character that is being built into us – the image of Christ stamped on us.  And, perhaps more important than our character development is the awakening of our spirits to be able to comprehend as much as humans can, the character and nature of God himself, and our relationship with Him as His Spirit-born children.

God does not intend to abandon us by the side of the road, to detour us to a dead-end, to slow us down in order to toy with us. But I believe that He waits on us, just as we wait on Him, to discover what His plan for us is at each particular slow-down and speed bump in our lives. He wants us to look to Him for each mile of our journey here on earth.

Whatever the slow-down, merge or detour is in your life at this time, you will be spared from unwanted fender-benders and fatal accidents by obeying the “yield” sign – conceding to God the right to direct your life, trusting that He knows the road ahead and will get you safely to your intended destination.

One of my recent teabag tags stated, “A promise is a gift in advance.”

Our heavenly Father has given us many “great and precious promises” (2 Peter 1:4); and these promises are awesome gifts that help us to navigate successfully through life.

One of the best ways to endure these seeming detours, lane changes, and slow-downs is to look for God’s promises in the Scriptures; select a promise that relates to your travel impediment, memorize and meditate on it until it stirs up faith to believe God for the mile you are on. Use those Scriptures as mile-markers in your journey.

My most recent mile markers are:

Psalm 118:2, “God is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; my God, my strength in whom I will put my trust.”

1 Peter 2:6 For in Scripture it says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.”

What promises are getting you through?

Wherever you are headed this week, have a safe trip.

©2012, Marcy Alves