Acts 17:27-28 (AMP)
So that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after Him and find Him, although He is not far from each one of us. For in Him we live and move and have our being; as even some of your [own] poets have said, For we are also His offspring.
Remember the story of Pinocchio, the wooden puppet who dreamed of being a real boy. He had no conscience so relied on his pal, Jiminy Cricket to help guide him along his journey. Like many of us, Pinocchio had some faults. His was fabricating truth and telling lies. Jiminy Cricket sang a little song to help Pinocchio, “Take the straight and narrow path and if you start to slide, give a little whistle (yoo-hoo), give a little whistle (yoo-hoo) and always let your conscience be your guide. Yeah that was easy for him to say! He was alive but to Pinocchio, who did not possess a real conscience, heart or mind, this would prove quite a challenge until the day that his wish was granted and he was a real boy! Ok maybe even then it was tough!
For in “God” we live and move and have our being or exist. If this is the case, then why can’t we do the right thing all of the time and live in step with the Lord? If only we could see Him, and move with the Lord, our life would be changed. But our conscience seems to be on the fritz these days getting worse all the time with accepted sin and areas of compromise, no one is willing to live in position anymore. Close proximity to God only exemplifies our weakness. When we are younger there are times as disobedience children that we avoided our parents hoping they would not discover our poor choices and/or rebellion only to discover down the road that they knew it all the time. Parents know that their children will make mistakes. It is their love, compassion and commitment to their beloved offspring that keeps them from completely abandoning them in the midst of transgression. Many years ago, our son engaged in an altercation at school. I had received text messages from his siblings that he had been involved in a fight so I picked up the phone and began calling the school to get information. I called repeatedly until someone finally answered who was quite surprised as I explained what had happened and I was calling to check on my child and see if I needed to come to the school. Taken aback, she indicated that not many parents would do that rather choosing avoidance to actually accepting responsibility for their child’s actions. As I spoke to my son, it was clear that it was not his choice to fight but he had to fight back. He was very apologetic and it was obvious that he was sorry despite the details of the altercation because it was not who he was or wanted to be. God loves us like that. He knows that we will make mistakes but runs to our aid at a moment’s notice. However, His Choice is to live in us, move with us, and be our very existence. It requires a change of heart and mind that makes us His Beloved Children.
Luke 15:17-20 (NLT)
“When he finally came to his senses, he said to himself, ‘At home even the hired servants have food enough to spare, and here I am dying of hunger! I will go home to my father and say, “Father, I have sinned against both heaven and you, and I am no longer worthy of being called your son. Please take me on as a hired servant.”’ “So he returned home to his father. And while he was still a long way off, his father saw him coming. Filled with love and compassion, he ran to his son, embraced him, and kissed him.
We all know the story of the prodigal son. He took his inheritance early and squandered it all due to a lack of discretion and maturity until he was eating pig slop. “When he finally came to his senses” or the “ah-ha” moment as I choose to call it when common sense finally catches up to us usually when our pride is destroyed, heart is broken and choices limited. Why must human beings go to such lengths to figure it all out? I don’t know but we do. When we come to our senses, swallow our pride, move to the Altar seeking the Blood of Christ ready to repent from our sins and seek a new life, something incredible happens. The God of the Entire Universe is “filled with love and compassion” He runs to embrace His Child! One step in the right direction and God’s Spirit apprehends you and draws you close. You move a little and God moves a lot when you decide to come home choosing destiny over disaster and Eternity more than today! The Lord will not leave His Will or His Kingdom but the moment you position yourself in His Presence, your Father will do the rest!
Exodus 13:21-22 (NLT)
The LORD went ahead of them. He guided them during the day with a pillar of cloud, and he provided light at night with a pillar of fire. This allowed them to travel by day or by night. And the LORD did not remove the pillar of cloud or pillar of fire from its place in front of the people.
As Children of God, we must live in His Presence. This is the position that He desires in our life. It has been His Plan all along. When the Children of Israel left Egypt, God demonstrated His Presence with a pillar of cloud in the day and a pillar of fire at night. (Numbers 9:18-23) They followed it physically. But as we would later find out, they did not follow it spiritually. Doing all the right things, saying all the right prayers, and pretending to serve God in the open but living in sin secretly will not gain anyone access to the Unfailing Love, Mercy and Grace of God. It is only a heart that continually seeks to be where He is that will encounter the Presence of God and live in position for all His Promises and Blessings. As believers we must determine have we kept our camp holy? (Deuteronomy 23:14) The Ark of the Covenant was the dwelling place of the Lord’s Spirit before Jesus Christ made our bodies the temple for the Holy Spirit. No longer must we follow a chest representing God’s Covenant with mankind, but now our conscience is assisted by His Spirit. One would think this would allow us to be faithful in light of such supernatural knowledge and revelation. Nah, most people still choose to ignore the Presence of God much less pursue it in life. God is calling us to meet Him today. Do not let people keep you from your destiny but run through the opposition to claim it by the Power of His Spirit inside of you. (I Samuel 17:48-49)
Matthew 17:20 (NLT)
“You don’t have enough faith,” Jesus told them. “I tell you the truth, if you had faith even as small as a mustard seed, you could say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it would move. Nothing would be impossible.”
Who would think a “mustard seed of faith” given as a measure by God (Romans 12:3) would be so tough to carry otherwise believers would be seeing modern miracles as revival broke out. Why? Because people could do the impossible and the world would be watching. They would choose to serve the Lord simply by your example. Who wouldn’t? You are a history shaker and miracle maker hidden behind doubt and disbelief. The Lord is calling you into position today. He invites you to step out of the natural into the supernatural realms of faith that becomes confident hope believing God for one thing at a time beginning with salvation and ending with the Inheritance of God found in His Kingdom reserved for His Kids! It is yours! It is available! It is your move! It is time to cling to faith and make it do what God designed it do! Change your life beginning with your conscience and moving to your Destiny! “Cling to your faith in Christ, and keep your conscience clear. For some people have deliberately violated their consciences; as a result, their faith has been shipwrecked.” (I Timothy 1:19) You must change the way you think, how you live and what you say in order to align your life with God’s Will. In such a position, nothing is impossible and faith becomes something we can use! “They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.” (I Timothy 3:9) Faith is worthless and small if you do not believe it can do anything, but when you do believe it is worthwhile enough to invest some time into then you will experience the life that you have hoped for and dreamed of. Nothing is impossible for those who believe!
Jeremiah 29:11-14 (NLT)
For I know the plans I have for you,” says the LORD. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope. In those days when you pray, I will listen. If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me. I will be found by you,” says the LORD. “I will end your captivity and restore your fortunes. I will gather you out of the nations where I sent you and will bring you home again to your own land.”
It is time to rediscover God’s Covenant Plan for your life. He has it all mapped out. It is a good plan for a future and hope. If you are not experiencing such a life now, it means that you are out of position not the Lord. (Psalm 33:8-9) God is guiding you to the best pathway for your life. If you are stubbornly, rebelliously choosing the opposite direction, do not blame the Lord! Instead, repent and change direction. He is right where He is supposed to be doing just what He promised. We must be confident in the Love of Jesus Christ to be faithful and believe that He is doing just that in our life. We must hold tightly to hope and use it to pull us forward when gripped by fear and uncertainty. (Hebrews 10:21-23) Confidence in God’s Goodness allows us to move with Him into the unknown. (Psalm 16:6-8) Our covenant with the Lord renews our strength as He guides us through the tough times into the Light of His Love. (Psalm 23:3) God’s Covenant with you is firmly established by faith in the unseen reality that God loves you, Jesus died for your sins, and His Spirit lives in you as His Guarantee of all this and so much more. “The LORD will guide you continually, giving you water when you are dry and restoring your strength. You will be like a well-watered garden, like an ever-flowing spring.” (Isaiah 58:11) Will you move with the Lord today?
Psalm 43:3-4 (NLT)
Send out your light and your truth; let them guide me. Let them lead me to your holy mountain, to the place where you live. There I will go to the altar of God, to God—the source of all my joy. I will praise you with my harp, O God, my God!
God tried to influence His People physically and visibly but it didn’t work out like that. I am still a little confused how you could see God move right in front of your eyes with His Pillar representing His Power and Glory all around you and still build idols and live in overt sin. One would think a lightning strike or vicious flaming hailstorm would motivate righteousness, obedience and commitment in the absence of love. They didn’t get it so God allowed His Son to die for the sins of mankind and fill them with His Spirit so the Lord could be with us every single minute and influence our mind, will and emotions. Yeah, we failed again. Confessing Christ with our mouth, yet embracing sin and idols with our heart, just evaluate how you spend your time and you will discover what or who you love the most. I have found in my own life – it usually is not Jesus who gets it but the things of this world. The Holy Spirit is inside you! Jesus gave Him to you to be your guide (John 16:13-14) kind of like Jiminy Cricket was to Pinocchio. But do not be confused, the Spirit is not suggestive. He knows God’s Will, His Way and His Word and the Spirit will tell you if you ask AND listen for His Response. He will guide you and be your conscience but will not fight for control. Although we can move out of His Presence, it does not mean that His Spirit is not present in you may be silent but definitely there residing in the place that He is given no matter how small. (Psalm 139:7-12)
Galatians 5:16-18 (NLT)
So I say, let the Holy Spirit guide your lives. Then you won’t be doing what your sinful nature craves. The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. But when you are directed by the Spirit, you are not under obligation to the Law of Moses.
Discovered something new in the Word of God today! I love when that happens. His Spirit says look here and there it is. There is an excellent reason to let the Spirit guide our life. When we do, we do not live under the obligation of the Law and can experience grace. In a day and age, when people do not know and understand the consistency of His Love, Mercy and Grace – we must rely on the Spirit to show us. Our sinful nature and Spirit are in a constant battle. If we rely solely on our conscience that is led by our mind, will and emotions, we are certain to fail. (Titus 1:15-16) But if we are led by the Spirit of God and the Truth of His Word (Psalm 119:133) then we will be under a provision of grace that only those who have truly repented of their sins and accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior have. This is how the Spirit guarantees the Promise. Without God’s Spirit leading our life, we cannot access His Grace. It is by His Spirit we find it and escape the penalty of the Law. It may take awhile for this to sink in but to move under grace – a believer must live by His Spirit. It is what defines us as His Children making His Inheritance available. (Hebrews 9:14) The Lord invites you to move into the Age of Grace that He has promised by His Spirit. You will be free from the fight to do things right established in faith and holding tightly to hope. Step into position and choose to live in the Presence of God and all those things you are discontent with will change. Stop trying to do it all yourself and let His Spirit be your guide! Live in position! Choose life with His Spirit!
I Timothy3:9 (NLT)
They must be committed to the mystery of the faith now revealed and must live with a clear conscience.
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