Day 5

Yesterday was Day 5 for me in the Prayer of Jabez challenge.  5 days down, 25 more to go.  Actually, today would make it 6 days down, 24 more to go...

God really works in mysterious ways.  I know we've all heard that saying before.  But when you actually take a look at things and are able to recognize His hand at work in your life, it's amazing how He takes certain situations and makes them work out for His purpose. 

Yesterday, I was unable to complete my "Day 5" blog because the computer was acting up.  Late last night, Marcus finally got the computer working, so he began working on his blog.  As he tapped away at the keys on the computer, I layed in bed listening to music, with my eyes closed trying to go to bed.

Around 12:19 this morning, I received a frantic text from a friend.  "Guys...the taxi driver [told] me that God is gonna get us on March 21, 2011.  Maybe May 21, 2011.  It starts with an m.  [Roommates] are ignorin me, but it's important!  Unless hes a false prophet...aye yai yai...anyone have thots that can put me to sleep???"

I'll spare you all the boring details of our "text-versation" and get to the meat and potatoes of it.  My recommendation to her was to read her Bible and pray for God's wisdom and understanding.

Matthew 7:15- 16 states, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves.  Ye shall know them by their fruits.  Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?"

The Bible is more than just a book with stories in it.  It is actually God's truth.  He left it as an instruction manual for us to use in our daily lives.  When we read the word and memorize it, we're able to recognize nonsense (also known as false doctrine), thus it has no effect on us.

God gave me the opportunity to share scripture with a friend.  He gave me the opportunity to be His hands and feet to her yesterday at a time when she needed to hear His truth.  When I realized I wouldn't be able to finish my blog until this morning, I was aggravated.  After I got the text from her, I realized God set the whole thing up, so that I'd have this to discuss. 

To some degree, we are all searching for the truth.  Before I had a true relationship with Christ, I searched for truth in several different ways.  Some of my favorite things to do was speak with psychics and read my horoscope so I could learn the truth.  I'd also listen to people that seemed to know what they were talking about...people that seemed to have more intelligence than I did.  They sounded so eloquent, how could they not know what they were talking about? 

Today, I'm a very different person.  Although I still read, and very much respect certain individuals with a great deal of worldly knowledge (Jim Rohn, Steven R. Covey, Robert Kiyosaki, etc.), I am able to recognize where truth comes from. 

Because my eyes have been open to the truth, I no longer contact psychics, or check my horoscope daily to find the truth. 

In John 8:31-32, Jesus said, "...If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed; And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free."

It's important to remember what Jesus said here, and really take it to heart because often times we're too lazy to read the word of God.  We'd rather listen to what other people say, or spend time reading other books filled with "feel good philosophies".

But Jesus told us to continue in His word and we'd know the truth and it would make us free.  Free from the confusion of the false doctrine of this world.

I got my degree in Social Work.  My first job out of college was as a high school counselor.  One of my former employees was a fast talker and always seemed to have a great deal of information.  She was involved in helping raise money for our school.  When she left, she passed the torch on to me.  One of her fund raising techniques was sending letters to different companies asking for donations.  When it came time for me to mail out letters, I printed out her old ones, began addressing envelopes, and was close to mailing them out.  Fortunately, I was stopped by another coworker reading the letter.  Apparently, our former coworker had been mailing out incorrect information. 

You see, I had read the letters.  I had even heard her state said incorrect information from the letters.  I didn't, however, realize the information was incorrect.  Why?  Because to me, this person seemed intelligent with the things she said.  Therefore, I had assumed the information she'd written was correct.  I'd never taken the time to gather that knowledge on my own.  The current coworker that caught the mistake was up to speed on her knowledge of Social Work "doctrine".

It's important to remember that when we are seeking the truth, we ought not just take people's word for it.  If you know nothing about the word of God, don't just read my blog and take my word for it.  I encourage you to open up the Bible, read it and pray for God's wisdom and understanding. 

The Bible is not a book to be taken lightly.  It is very easy for someone to misinterpret the things that are stated in it.  Even someone with good intentions can lead someone astray by misinterpreting things.  God is the only one that can lead us to the truth.

In Genesis,  the serpent was able to lead Eve into sin by his eloquent lies (Genesis 3:1-5).  Again, God left us His word (The Bible) as an instruction manual for our daily lives, so that we wouldn't be deceived by the things of this world.  He also gave us a choice: we can continue in our laziness allowing others to lead us astray, or we can seek the truth through God's knowledge and be set free...

PAR