Pastor Stephen Dedman

Tag: Jesus Christ

The Lord Appointed

Trust

The Lord Appointed

And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.
‭‭Jonah‬ ‭1:17‬

Obedience Brings Blessings

Jonah was appointed by God to go to Ninevah to share the love of God. Instead of obeying and doing as the Lord instructed, Jonah chose to go the opposite way and do what he thought was best. So God also appointed a great fish to save him. Jonah was a man of God but had a few things wrong.

First, he had a problem with forgiveness. He didnt want God to forgive the Ninevites. Some scholars believe Jonah’s family was victimized by the Ninevites. Nevertheless, Jonah didn’t want God showing mercy on them.

Second, Jonah had a problem with obedience. When God told him to go to Ninevah he went down to Tarshish. He went where he wanted to go. He thought he could run away from God. After God got his attention he ended doing what God told him to do.

Third, Jonah had a problem with repentance. Through this entire story we never read that Jonah repented of his sin. He went and had a pity party and never made things right with God. One day we will know the whole story when we get to Heaven.

Let’s learn from Jonah’s bad experience and do what God tells us to do and go where God tells us to go. Sometimes our obedience to God will save our life and save the lives of others. We should learn trust God because He knows what is best.

Prayer

Pray and seek God’s guidance through the Holy Spirit. Ask God if there is anything He desires for you to do or anywhere for you to go.

Are You The One

Trust

Are You The One

And John calling two of his disciples to him, sent them to the Lord, saying, “Are You the One who is to come, or shall we look for another?”
‭‭Luke‬ ‭7:19‬

No Need To Doubt

In Luke 7:28 Jesus says, “there is none greater than John.”  John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus who preached repentance of sin to prepare the way of the coming of the Messiah.  When John baptized Jesus, he heard the audible voice of God and saw the Holy Spirit descend upon Jesus like a dove.  There was no doubt that John knew that Jesus was the Messiah.

After John was arrested and held in prison for a long period of time, he began to question if Jesus was really the Coming One.  There are three notable reasons that caused him to doubt and these can create doubt in our minds as well.  First, the circumstances he faced made him question if Jesus cared.  John was in prison because he stated the truth of Herod’s sin.  Sometimes the circumstances we endure make us wonder if Jesus really cares for us.  Second, listening to outsiders can cause doubt.  While in prison, John heard a report about Jesus and obviously it was in contrast to what he believed.  We must be careful to who and what we listen to.  If it’s not the truth, it can cause us to doubt.  Third, since we don’t have full knowledge, we question how things will work out.  Jesus was just the opposite of what everyone expected.  He was a humble servant instead of coming as one who would be treated like the king of the Jews.  Limited information causes us to doubt if all things will work out in our favor or not.

When John doubted, he searched for truth from Jesus.  We too should turn to Jesus when we start to doubt.  He will give us what we need.

Prayer

Search the Lord through the Word of God and ask Him to reveal the truths that you need to know.

Rejoice In The Lord

Encouragement, Trust

Rejoice In The Lord

Yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation.
‭‭Habakkuk‬ ‭3:18‬

 

God Is In Control

Habakkuk was experiencing some very tough economic times. Verse 17 tells us what was happening.  There were no figs on the trees, no grapes on the vines, no oil to cook with, no crops growing and no animals for meat. This simply means there was nothing to eat or drink and the future was not very promising.  People would panic if that were to happen today.

Habakkuk remained positive and faithful as verse 18 shines rays of hope. Habakkuk knew God was the source of everything. He knew that God is the Creator and Sustainer and could make anything happen. He knew God had everything under control. If God wasn’t going to allow the earth to produce then somehow everything would work out in His timing.  That’s why he says, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord and take joy in the God of my salvation.”  Even in the worst case senerio he knew he would be saved, even if he died.

Don’t focus on your circumstances. Focus on praising the One who controls everything. Circumstances can change quickly.  There was not a lot of food, but Jesus fed 5,000 men.  There was no wine at a wedding feast but Jesus saved the best for last.  To rejoice in the Lord when things are not going well means you know that God has something great in the works.  People all around you may be down in the dumps and depressed but you could be the one who brings hope and encouragement as a solution. Your attitude and actions reflect how you trust God.

Prayer

Praise God for what He has provided and you will not dwell on what you are lacking. God will provide what you need. Thank Him in advance.