Published by admin on 16 Mar 2018 at 02:24 pm
GOD, WHERE ARE YOU?
Have you ever been in a situation where you’ve prayed and prayed and it seems God is nowhere to be found? That is the topic for today.
Is your life so busy that the voice of God is lost in the crowd? It isn’t hard to let distractions in life get your attention off of God. A problem here, a problem there, and pretty soon, all your attention is on the problems, instead of the problem solver; that is Christ Jesus. So, are you seeking Him a little, or a lot? There are a number of things that come into play here. The peace you are experiencing in life is directly proportional to the time you spend with the LORD. Yes, there are many problems and trials, and the LORD told us there would be.
Just because you call Christ Jesus your Lord and Savior does not exempt you from problems. However, He promised He would never leave or forsake you, which means no matter what’s going on against you, the problem solver is on your side, ready to help. Sometimes we think we can solve our problems on our own, and the LORD will let us do so, after all, we have “free will” and we sure love to use it, amen? But “free will” also offers us the opportunity to ask the LORD what we should do.
Is the LORD your Number One counselor? Or is He farther down on your list, after your family and Facebook friends? Yes, the Bible says in Proverbs 24:6, “For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.” But I have to ask, how wise is the counsel you listen to? Are they Godly people full of the Holy Spirit, or are they worldly and void of the Holy Spirit. Everyone has their opinion and the ability to give their two cents worth, but if what you need is worth more than two cents, you’d best be seeking the LORD, or you’re setting yourself up for trouble.
Do you see the power of God working in your life? Well, you will if you are hungering and thirsting after Him like there is nothing else to live for. When a person is doing that, there is NEVER a time when you have to ask, “God, where ARE You?” You will KNOW, for He has given you His Holy Spirit to lead and guide you in the way that is best for you.
Many have asked me concerning sickness, “Should I go to the doctor, or believe God for my healing?” That is a valid question. For me, I don’t even have to ask that question, “for by wise counsel I make my war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety.” WHAT counsellors? Every Word that comes out of the mouth of God is MY counsellor. What does His Word tell me? There are many “counsellors” in the Word that I need to seek and obey. First, I must “believe” His Word.
What does it mean to “BELIEVE”? It means to be fully persuaded of to the point of shutting out everything to the contrary. Your friends tell you to go to the doctor, and they go because that’s the only place they can go to get any measure of relief. They aren’t “fully persuaded” that Christ Jesus is the Healer. They may KIND OF believe, but not to the point they are willing to stake their very lives on the fact that God’s Word is true. You can NEVER receive the full measure of “benefits” mentioned in Psalm 103:2-3 as long as you have doubt in your heart. Those verses say, “Bless the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases.”
To most, those are nice verses, but they aren’t willing to build their lives around them. I have. I said, I HAVE! And therefore, I am a happy recipient of those “benefits”, but it has not been without cost to me. People say, “Jesus paid the price, and I go free.” Yes, He did, but I pay the price of the ridicule and scorn from those who don’t agree with God’s Word. There is no end of people telling me “God does not always heal.” Well, I don’t control other people, only myself. Others may have different experiences than I have had, because they’re not walking in my level of faith, nor am I walking in theirs. Therefore, I do not condemn anyone else for what they believe. I only ask them to look into God’s Word and decide for themselves.
To them I say, you have your free will, USE it! But as for me, whenever I have a situation come up in my life, I go to my Counsellors, that is the Word of God, and I seek what advice He offers, then I do it.
What am I saying here? Am I saying don’t go to the doctors? No, I’m just saying SEEK GOD FIRST, and do what He says to do. There are many who say “I believe”, but whose faith is riddled with doubts and unbelief. And there are many reasons for that, and lack of time spent with God is the number one cause of doubt. “Self-worth” is another, but you have to put what YOU have done out of the equation. Your healing is made available to you by what CHRIST JESUS did, and Him alone. But, according to your “free will”, you may or may not receive it. You have free will to believe God’s Word or not. And if you don’t believe, you can’t receive. People don’t want to hear that, but it’s true. You cannot be saved if you don’t believe. Your “free will” will keep you either IN the blessings of God, or OUT of them. You choose!
If you spend time with God, the first thing you will learn is that He cannot lie. What He says He will do, He does without fail. If you go back in the Old Testament and read the story of how God delivered the Israelites out of their slavery to Egypt by Moses, you will see God indeed keeps His Word.
Now, sometimes God doesn’t do things on OUR time table, so we start doubting His Word. God brought many plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt before he finally let Israel go. But when he did, he literally made them leave in the middle of the night. And that isn’t even to mention the parting of the Red Sea when Israel crossed on dry ground. We are of an “instant” mindset, thinking if we don’t see it NOW, then God isn’t keeping His Word. But that process with Israel didn’t happen overnight. But when deliverance came, it was RIGHT NOW!
Am I saying that God can heal through a doctor? I have heard people talk of doctors praying for them, and I believe there are good and godly doctors out there. But the Word of God says, in Psalm 107:20, “He sent His Word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions.” No matter how I try to “interpret” it, I cannot make it say, “He sent the doctor and healed them.” Therefore, as I believe, so I act, and His Word is the plumb bob and ruler of my life, and I reject anything to the contrary. That’s just ME. You are free to do as you please, of course.
I want to ask you something: if you are trusting God for salvation, what proof are you standing on? Did you receive a ticket in the mail saying “Admit one to heaven”? I didn’t. Maybe I missed mine? No, I have only the Word of God promising that if I believe as per God’s instructions, and ENDURE TO THE END, I shall be saved. I have staked my soul on God’s Word for all eternity. Likewise I have staked by body’s health on God’s Word. If I can’t fully trust and believe Him that CHRIST JESUS IS THE HEALER, then I can’t believe Him that CHRIST JESUS IS THE SAVIOR, either!
There are many who don’t believe it is God’s will to heal every disease. And they tell me, look around, so-and-so was prayed for, and THEY weren’t healed! Well, I don’t know their walk with God, and neither do you. We may THINK we do, but we don’t. Only God does. But we have proof in God’s Word that Christ Jesus healed ALL who came to Him for healing. He said He did nothing but His Father’s will. And He went on to say, “I and My Father are One”. So we know it’s just as much God’s will to heal all the sick as it is to save all the sinners. But, our “free will” also enters into both of those things, like I said before.
Do YOU want to be saved? If so, ask, believe, and receive. Do YOU want to be healed? Then ask, believe, and receive. It’s as simple as that! If you’re asking, God, where are you? I will tell you where He is at; He is in heaven waiting patiently for you to receive all He has so lovingly provided for you. He has already done everything needed for your salvation and healing. There’s nothing else lacking, there’s no “good works” you need to complete, and YOUR worthiness to receive all He has prepared for you was decided WAY back there in eternity: HE DECIDED to make you worthy by the finished work of Christ Jesus! So, what are you waiting for? Get rid of that doubt and unbelief and literally take God at His Word. I did, and I do daily continue to do so, and will unto the end of my life here on earth. I never have to ask, “God, where ARE you?” He’s right here in me and with me every moment of every day, forever!
So, don’t ask, “God, where are you?” Instead, ask, “God, where am I?” If you’re not IN HIM right now, then you aren’t in the will of God, and you’re LOST and you’re missing out on the most wonderful experience there is. It would be a good time right now for you to say, “LORD, come over here, I’d like to have a talk with you. I want to know You, even as You know me. I ask You to be my LORD and forgive my sins and heal my diseases and fill me with Your Holy Spirit right now.” And He will! Go ahead, He’s waiting…….
Mary Anne Ezmerlian on 16 Mar 2018 at 3:07 pm #
That’s good Pastor Jerry! “God, where am I?”
Duane Finnie on 16 Mar 2018 at 7:40 pm #
Amen sir , this message witnessed to soul
Debbie on 17 Mar 2018 at 2:58 am #
Thank you so much for your love, devotion and great example of commitment to our Lord.
James on 18 Mar 2018 at 5:37 am #
Thank you Bro Jerry for keeping the truth of faith coming to us>