I have had several dreams lately in which either storms or things are coming at me and so it is easy to get fearful of what is to come which of course is not of the Lord because His plans for us are good. But he does say in Proverbs that we will have many afflictions but the Lord delivers us from them all. So although we will have trials, he is with us in it and will lead us through them.
I was reading this morning the story of the Wise and the Foolish builders and I was reminded that although the storms may and will come, I don't need to be concerned because my foundations are in him.
Matt 7:23 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
The key in this scripture is putting into practise what we hear from the Lord. If we don't put into practise those things that we are hearing from the Lord we are leaving ourselves vulnerable and when those storms come our foundations are weakened.
Yesterday I was looking at a scripture in James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a bother or sister is naked and destitute for daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
So when reading the scripture from Matthew about putting into practise what you heard I was reminded about faith without action is dead. Both are saying the same thing. We need to do what we believe otherwise what we heard, what we believe, is actually of no value at all and it doesn't profit us or anyone else anything.
There are times in our lives when we are questioning what we are hearing from the Lord and until you get that clarity it is better to wait. But in learning to hear and discern his voice and putting into practise what I believed I heard, there have been many times in my life that I have just stepped out in faith believing what I thought the Lord was saying and trusting in that and so my clarity and discernment of hearing his voice has grown. And in the stepping out the Lord is able to direct our footsteps but when we don't step out he can't direct anything. In stepping out you will either find a way through or a blockage and so you know.
Sometimes I don't need to ponder or question anything before doing it, simply because the word says what we need to do and so just do it. For example Matt 5:42 "Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Easy, that's what his word says and so therefore that is what I need to do. I don't need to question whether or not to give. Other times we might get impressions, or whatever that we believe God is saying to do a certain thing but it is not written in the word specifically your situation. Often if you believe you hear something, if it would be a good thing in the Lord and lines up with scripture, if it is out of your comfort box but would build his Kingdom on the earth, then it is probably from the Lord and in stepping out in those 'promptings' and then seeing his provision or his direction in something then we learn more to hear his voice. If you are unsure it is always good to seek wise discerning christian counsel.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see and so stepping out in faith is a challenge but the more you put into practise what you believe in the Lord, what you believe in scripture and seeing God's answer and provision in those things, the more you know with a surety your foundations in the Lord are secure and the storms will not touch you. God has been redoing our foundations and showing Jim and I all the weak areas that needed strengthening because his desire is that when those storms come we will be able to stand in him and be secure.
A scripture someone sent me this morning after I wrote this which fits in beautifully is Isaiah 33:5-6 "The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."
I was reading this morning the story of the Wise and the Foolish builders and I was reminded that although the storms may and will come, I don't need to be concerned because my foundations are in him.
Matt 7:23 Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock. But everyone who hears these words of mine and does not put them into practice is like a foolish man who built his house on sand. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell with a great crash."
The key in this scripture is putting into practise what we hear from the Lord. If we don't put into practise those things that we are hearing from the Lord we are leaving ourselves vulnerable and when those storms come our foundations are weakened.
Yesterday I was looking at a scripture in James 2:14 What does it profit, my brethren, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can faith save him? If a bother or sister is naked and destitute for daily food, and one of you says to them, “Depart in peace, be warmed and filled,” but you do not give them the things which are needed for the body, what does it profit? Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.
So when reading the scripture from Matthew about putting into practise what you heard I was reminded about faith without action is dead. Both are saying the same thing. We need to do what we believe otherwise what we heard, what we believe, is actually of no value at all and it doesn't profit us or anyone else anything.
There are times in our lives when we are questioning what we are hearing from the Lord and until you get that clarity it is better to wait. But in learning to hear and discern his voice and putting into practise what I believed I heard, there have been many times in my life that I have just stepped out in faith believing what I thought the Lord was saying and trusting in that and so my clarity and discernment of hearing his voice has grown. And in the stepping out the Lord is able to direct our footsteps but when we don't step out he can't direct anything. In stepping out you will either find a way through or a blockage and so you know.
Sometimes I don't need to ponder or question anything before doing it, simply because the word says what we need to do and so just do it. For example Matt 5:42 "Give to the one who asks you and do not turn away from the one who wants to borrow from you." Easy, that's what his word says and so therefore that is what I need to do. I don't need to question whether or not to give. Other times we might get impressions, or whatever that we believe God is saying to do a certain thing but it is not written in the word specifically your situation. Often if you believe you hear something, if it would be a good thing in the Lord and lines up with scripture, if it is out of your comfort box but would build his Kingdom on the earth, then it is probably from the Lord and in stepping out in those 'promptings' and then seeing his provision or his direction in something then we learn more to hear his voice. If you are unsure it is always good to seek wise discerning christian counsel.
Faith is believing in what you cannot see and so stepping out in faith is a challenge but the more you put into practise what you believe in the Lord, what you believe in scripture and seeing God's answer and provision in those things, the more you know with a surety your foundations in the Lord are secure and the storms will not touch you. God has been redoing our foundations and showing Jim and I all the weak areas that needed strengthening because his desire is that when those storms come we will be able to stand in him and be secure.
A scripture someone sent me this morning after I wrote this which fits in beautifully is Isaiah 33:5-6 "The Lord is exalted, for he dwells on high; he will fill Zion with justice and righteousness. He will be the sure foundation for your times, a rich store of salvation and wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is the key to this treasure."
