"The Hall of Faith"

  "How much more do I need to say? It would take too long to recount the stories of the faith of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, David, Samuel, and all the prophets. By faith these people overthrew kingdoms, ruled with justice, and received what God had promised them. They shut the mouths of lions, quenched the flames of fire, and escaped death by the edge of the sword. There weakness was turned to strength. They became strong in battle and put whole armies to flight. Women received their loved ones back again from death.

 "But others were tortured, refusing to turn from God in order to be set free. They placed their hope in a better life after the resurrection. Some were jeered at, and their backs were cut open with whips. Others were chained in prisons. Some died by stoning, some were sawed in half, and others were killed by the sword. Some went about wearing skins of sheep and goats, destitute and oppressed and mistreated. They were too good for this world, wandering over deserts and mountains, hiding in caves and holes in the ground.

 "All these people earned a good reputation because of their faith, yet none of them received all that God had promised. For God had something better in mind for us, so that they would not reach perfection without us." (Hebrews 11:32-40 NLT)

  ""Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. For the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation."" (John 5:25-29 KJV)

 This might not make sense to everyone, but it is just an example of what the difference is between those before the cross of Christ, and us that lived after Christ paid the price for our sins: Those that were before had their salvation given in the form of a credit card, charging up their many sins, with credit to be forgiven; and we that lived after, received a debit card, with unlimited cash in our account, that has endless forgiveness...

"Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth not? harken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness." (Isaiah 55:1-2 KJV) 

"The Harlot Rahab"

 "By faith the harlot Rahab perished not with them that believed not, when she had received the spies with peace." (Hebrews 11:31 KJV)

  "Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse. Jesse was the father of King David. David was the father of Solomon (whose mother was Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah)." (Matthew 1:3-6 NLT)

 Looking at this from a different point of view, you would think that some people would feel good about these four women that are listed in the line of Judah, as they are clearly mentioned for a reason. However, there are some that don't think Rahab the harlot is the same Rahab that is listed in the line of ancestors of Jesus the Messiah. 

 Why have her listed among those others, if it didn't count for something meaningful? Why judge one person differently than that of the others? As I was saying, God does speak to people personally; and Rahab was someone that was spoken to, by God! How else would she have known who those spies were and that God was going to destroy her city? She was chosen for a reason, and it wasn't just to let those spy's escape. 

 What is the difference between the harlot Rahab and Mary Magdalene? Absolutely nothing...

"And so it happened just as the Scripture say: "Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith." He was even called the friend of God. So you see, we are shown to be right with God by what we do, not by faith alone. Rahab the prostitute is another example, She was shown to be right with God by her actions when she hid those messengers and sent them away by a different road. Just as the body is dead without breath, so also faith is dead without good works." (James 2:23-26 NLT) 

"The Walls Fell Down"

 "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they were compassed about seven days." (Hebrews 11:30 KJV)

  "Jesus was aware that his disciples were complaining, so he said to them, "Does this offend you? Then what will you think if you see the Son of Man ascend to heaven again? The Spirit alone gives eternal life. Human effort accomplishes nothing. And the very words I have spoken to you are spirit and life. But some of you do not believe me."" (John 6:61-64 NLT)

 To be perfectly clear, God controls every element in all of creation! Absolutely nothing that is seen or unseen is not under His control, and nothing in all of creation cannot be moved or taken down, with just a word; if He says it, it will happen! This is what I truly believe, not because I think it is so, but because the Bible says that it is so; and I believe the Bible is God's spoken words! 

 Having said that, I also believe that those walls would have come down without those Israelites marching around that city for seven days; that was God's way a letting take part in what He was doing. Much as it is for all of us, whatever we do in any sort of ministry, from the least to the greatest. God could just speak to anyone to call them into service, yet He uses us because that's how we grow and live by faith.  

 Hands and feet, is what we are: He is the voice that makes it all work! I know that some people who teach and preach think that they are the voice that does all the work; but if the Spirit is not in the volume of the words being spoken, then it is all gibberish! 

 Anywho, that is my thought on the subject, so don't worry if it doesn't make any sense. There is a lot of things going on in this world that don't make sense; but believe it or not, God is still on the Throne and He is ultimately the One in control... 

"Through Christ you have come to trust in God. And you have placed your faith and hope in God because he raised Christ from the dead and gave him great glory. You were cleansed from your sins when you obeyed the truth, so now you must show sincere love to each other as brothers and sisters. Love each other deeply with all your heart. For you have been born again, but not to a life that will quickly end. Your new life will last forever because it comes from the eternal, living word of God. As the Scriptures say, "People are like grass: their beauty is like a flower in the field. The grass withers and the flower fades. But the word of the Lord remains forever." And that word is the Good News that was preached to you." (1 Peter 1:21-25 NLT)

"The Walls of Jericho"

  "It was by faith that the people of Israel marched around Jericho for seven days, and the walls came crashing down. It was by faith that Rahab the prostitute was not destroyed with the people in her city who refused to obey God. For she had given a friendly welcome to the spies." (Hebrews 11:30-31 NLT) 

  "Let that therefore abide in you, which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father. And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." (1 John 2:24-25 KJV)

 Well, as deep a subject can get, this is one that is worth digging into! One of the things I remembered from one of the early Bible Studies, back in the days of my time in jail, after I got saved, was a discussion of how the walls of Jericho came down. Me, being a new believer, didn't think it really was all that hard to accept that it was the breath of God, which was brought on by the shout of the people of Israel. 

 Regardless, God's hand was what did it, not an earthquake or storm, or any other natural force. With that, I have this other thing that is constantly being talked about, which I have settled deeply in my heart, yet constantly get in arguments over, which is the days that God created the heavens and the earth. Even just the other day, I heard someone bring up that a thousand years is a day with the Lord, as if those days of His creation were thousands of years. 

 I believe that our God is able to do anything! There is nothing that He cannot do, even if it involves make a universe in a matter of minutes, He can do it by just a Word. Besides that, my Bible says the moment God said, "Let there be Light," and the day He finished, were all done in the same year, BC4004. I don't see how thousands of years compute in that timeline; and besides that, the Bible says, "evening and morning were a day," so it sounds as if it was a 24-hour day...

 "And God saw everything that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day." (Genesis 1:31 KJV) 

"Leap of Faith" - 2

 "By faith they passed through the Red Sea as by dry land: which the Egyptians assaying to do were drowned," (Hebrews 11:29 KJV)

  "As Pharaoh approached, the people of Israel looked up and panicked when they saw the Egyptians overtaking them. They cried out to the LORD, and they said to Moses, "Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness? Weren't there enough graves for us in Egypt? What have you done to us? Why did you make us leave Egypt? Didn't we tell you this would happen while we were still in Egypt? We said, 'Leave us alone! Let us be slaves to the Egyptians. It's better to be a slave in Egypt than a corpse in the wilderness!'" But Moses told the people, "Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the LORD rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The LORD himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."" (Exodus 14:10-14 NLT) 

 Somebody once said, "Act as if you have faith!" This idea is most likely taken from something Jesus said about moving mountains. (Matthew 21:21-22) The point being, that Moses really didn't know what God was going to do, only that God wasn't going to let His people be killed by the Egyptians, because the plan was to get them back to the land where they belonged.    

 Much as Paul was not concerned over the poisonous snakebite, because he knew that he had to go to Rome, because God already told him it would happen. Moses might not have known what God would do, but he knew that one way or another, He would take care of His people and destroy the Egyptian army. 

 The whole point to this title, "Leap of Faith," is not based upon the faith of the people, because they had no faith, but only complained around every corner. Whenever there was anything to complain about, they would say, "Why did you take us out here to die!" It was Moses that had faith enough to know that God was able to do what was needed; no matter what it might have been, God could do anything!

 As for the statement, "Act as if you have faith!", this is not really something that is played out, as if we are pretending to have faith that God will do something, but that we trust that God will do whatever he has promised, no matter what! We might not know how He will do it, and we certainly don't know when; but we can act as if He is doing it, by the faith that He is good and faithful...

"Then the LORD said to Moses, "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. And I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians, and they will charge in after the Israelites. My great glory will be displayed through Pharaoh and his troops, his chariots, and his charioteers. When my glory is displayed through them, all Egypt will see my glory and know that I am the LORD!"" (Exodus 14:15-18 NLT) 

"Leap of Faith"

  "It was by faith that the people of Israel went right through the Red Sea as though they were on dry ground. But when the Egyptians tried to follow, they were all drowned." (Hebrews 11:29 NLT)

  "And when they were escaped, then they knew that the island as called Melita. And the barbarous people showed us no little kindness: for they kindled a fire, and received us every one, because of the present rain, and because of the cold. And when Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venomous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live. And he shook off the beast into the fire, and felt no harm. Howbeit, they looked when he should have swollen, or fallen down dead suddenly: but after they had looked a great while, and saw no harm come to him, they changed their minds, and said that he was a god." (Acts 28:1-6 KJV)

 Not quite sure about this, but I had planned to continue the message from yesterday, but I decided that I said enough. If that which was said didn't make sense or wasn't understandable, then I will take the blame for not explaining a little more plainly. Besides that, Jesus lost a few followers when he shared about them eating His flesh and drinking His blood; so, it really is understandable! 

 I was thinking about something that could demonstrate what a leap of faith might look like; which made me think about this snakebite Paul encountered. There is something I feel was certain to Paul's heart, and that was the fact that God was taking him to Rome, and not even a snake was going to stop that from happening! After all that they had been through and then ending up shipwrecked, there is always faith that can be manifested, even in the greatest storms! 

 You just shake it off and trust that God will get you through, just as He promised...

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you."    

"The Passover"

 "Through faith he kept the passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he that destroyed the firstborn should touch them." (Hebrews 11:28 KJV)

  ""I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn over what is going to happen to me, but the world will rejoice. You will grieve, but your grief will suddenly turn to wonderful joy. It will be like a woman suffering the pains of labor. When her child is born, her anguish gives way to joy because she has brought a new baby into the world."" (John 16:20-21 NLT) 

 Having been through several things that cause grief, I can somewhat relate to what Jesus is trying to tell His disciples; even though they still didn't truly understand everything that He said. The thing about the Passover, that many people don't really understand, that the main character in this story, is not the angel of death, or even the firstborn children that were passed over from death; it was the Lamb! 

 If those who were familiar with what Passover truly represented, could actually have connected the dots, then they would have figured out that Jesus and that cross He was crucified on, were a mirror image of pretty much every element of the Passover. Yet, their hearts would not allow them to see the truth! 

 That is still something we see today, as the truth is abundantly obvious, but because of the condition of their hearts, many people simply cannot see the truth, even though it is really abundantly clear...

"You love him even though you have never seen him. Though you do not see him now, you trust him and you rejoice with a glorious, inexpressible joy. The reward for trusting him will be the salvation of your souls. This salvation was something even the prophets wanted to know more about when they prophesied about this gracious salvation prepared for you. They wondered what time or situation the Spirit of Christ within them was talking about when he told them in advance about Christ's suffering and his great glory afterward. They were told that their messages were not for themselves, but for you. And now this Good News has been announced to you by those who preached in the power of the Holy Spirit sent from heaven. It is all so wonderful that even the angels are eagerly watching these things happen." (1 Perter 1:8-12 NLT) 

"Seeing Him!" - Too

 "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible." (Hebrews 11:27 KJV)

  "But thank God! He has made us his captives and continues to lead us along in Christ's triumphal procession. Now he uses us to spread the knowledge of Christ everywhere, like a sweet perfume. Our lives are like a Christ-like fragrance rising up to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those who are being saved and by those who are perishing. To those who are perishing, we are a dreadful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved, we are a life-giving perfume. And who is adequate for such a task as this? You see, we are not like the many hucksters who preach for personal profit. We preach the word of God with sincerity and with Christ's authority, knowing that God is watching us." (2 Corinthians 2:14-17 NLT)

 This might seem a little different, as there some that might not see things the same way many of us see, shall we say, the Spirit of Christ, moving in our midst. But there is a really big difference in those that watch for God's hand to move, and those that consider things to be circumstance or a coincidence. God does everything with purpose and results, no matter if they are good or bad, rising up or tearing down; no matter what the condition might look like, if He allows it, it is meant to be. 

 There is a big difference about asking God why He is allowing or doing this or that and asking God to show us what He is doing and allowing Him to teach us or correct our path. Moses escaped from Egypt by thinking he was a wanted man; yet God moved him out of Egypt to become a shepherd of sheep, and to make him the man to deliver His people. 

 There was nothing that was coincidence in what took place in Moses' life; from the very moment that his parents saw his worth, without even knowing for what, except that it was on their hearts. Who do you think made them take that chance? Just like that Pastor who listened to God and followed through doing what He asked, they too did the same; a simple little task, to some would seem a risk, but when God is involved, things become visible and we can actually see Him moving and doing His will and purposes!

 Hopefully no one was offended by anything I said, because I have had discussions with some who say they are believers, yet they don't fully and completely believe everything in the Bible to true; making some things an allegory or a story with fictional characters. If you are looking for Jesus Christ to show up in the Scriptures, He is really not that hard to find...

""And the Father who sent me has testified about me himself. You have never heard his voice or seen him face to face, and you do not have his message in your heats, because you do not believe me - the one he sent to you. You search the Scriptures because you think they give you eternal life. But the Scriptures point to me! Yet you refuse to come to me to receive this life."" (John 5:37-40 NLT)

"Seeing Him!"

 "By faith he forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the king: for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible," (Hebrews 11:27 KJV)

  "That is why we never give up. Though our bodies are dying, our spirits are being renewed every day. For our present troubles are small and won't last very long. Yet they produce for us a glory that vastly outweighs them and will last forever! So we don't k look at the troubles we can see now; rather, we fix our gaze on things that cannot be seen. For the things we see now will soon be gone, but the things we cannot see will last forever." (2 Corinthians 4:16-18 NLT)

 It seems that there might be something familiar in this message, especially the part about "he endured." If you think about it, basically means that he was patiently waiting for something, which, if you really know how that might look, it requires a person to be strong and steadfast; knowing that we have a purpose. 

 I really don't know how to say this, but there is no other way that I can see myself, then by seeing that which I cannot see! There is nothing that can compare to the glory that we will experience when we are in the home where we are going; nothing we can even imagine. Yet, it is that which cannot be seen that makes us patiently wait, longing for that which we hope for; getting stronger in our spirit, the closer we get to that day, which seems to be closer and closer. 

 If you remember the challenge Moses had, when the LORD asked him to go and deliver His people; he had several excuses as to why he wasn't able to do what God wanted him to do. Yet, it was not long into the challenge, once he stood before Pharoh, he realized that he was right where he was meant to be; which not only gave him confidence, but gave him a certain boldness, as he spoke for God. 

 Yesterday I heard a message from a Pastor that was sharing about his first encounter as the beginning of his ministry, when God asked him to confront a certain person. What started with just a simple task of sharing the Good News with someone, became a very big deal, for hundreds of people. Nobody really knows the results of what that might look like, but just that one small thing, doing what God asked him to do, became something amazingly big!

 If the LORD tells you to do something, He is opening a door that cannot be shut; it is a door that opens to many more doors, doors that are not even visible...

""The servant to whom he had entrusted the five bags of silver came forward with five more and said, 'Master, you gave me five bags of silver to invest, and I have earned five more,' "The Master was full of praise. 'Well done, my good and faithful servant. You have been faithful in handling this small amount, so now I will give you many more responsibilities. Let's celebrate together!'"" (Matthew 25:20-21 NLT)   

"Greater Riches!" - Too

 "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches that the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." (Hebrews 11:26 KJV)

  "I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law; rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith. I want to know Christ and experience the mighty power that raised him from the dead. I want to suffer with him, sharing in his death, so that one way or another I will experience the resurrection from the dead!" (Philippians 3:7-11 NLT)

 There are certain things that cause us to want to know more about God's love and passion towards us, as we try hard to figure out why He really cares for us as He does. I constantly think to myself about how unworthy I am to receive His abundant mercy and grace; yet it overwhelms me each and every time that I do, as I envision Christ on that cross, knowing that God's love is overwhelmingly sufficient to save, even the worst of sinners! 

 The real reason most of us have this guilty feeling, isn't because we mess up from time to time, but it is because we can't stop messing up; we try so hard, but it seems the harder we try to be righteous, the more unrighteous we feel, and the further away from the Lord we see ourselves. This is really a thing, as Paul uses that in his message in Galatians, that the law is only there to show us how much we need Jesus...

"Is there a conflict, then, between God's law and God's promises? Absolutely not! If the law could give us new life, we could be made right with God by obeying it. But the Scriptures declare that we are all prisoners of sin, so we receive God's promise of freedom only by believing in Jesus Christ." (Galatians 3:21-22 NLT) 

"Greater Riches!"

 "Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt: for he had respect unto the recompence of the reward." (Hebrews 11:26 KJV)

  "But Ruth replied, "Don't ask me to leave you and turn back. Wherever you go, I will go; wherever you live, I will live. Your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Wherever you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD punish me severely if I allow anything but death separate us!" (Ruth 1:16-18 NLT)

 The thing that made me turn to this Scripture in Ruth was her sincere desire to leave the land she was born in, and go with Naomi to a place she didn't even know; yet she wanted to know and worship the God that Naomi knew; as well as provide comfort to her mother-in-law, whom she truly loved. For the sake of saying what you should already know, Ruth was a Moabite, who was from the land of Moab. 

 I know that is remarkably easy to understand; yet this place called Moab was named after a particular person, who came from a very particular man, named Lot, the nephew of Abraham. As the story goes, Lot took his wife and two daughters out from Sodom, because God was going to destroy it and he was told to flee. But his wife looked back and became a pillar of salt; so, his two daughters decided to get him drunk and have sex with him, so they could continue the family name. One of the daughters had a son, that she named Moab; who became the ancestor to the nation known as the Moabites.    

 This might not seem as though it has any direct connection, something that really matters; but of the line of those who are part of the bloodline of Christ, Ruth is one of them. There were actually four women in that line, three were personally involved in some sort of sexual issue; yet Ruth was just a descendant of one, but she was still part of the story.  

 Anywho, there is more to that then we have time to talk about; but the one who gave birth to Jesus was a virgin, meaning that she became pregnant without any sexual encounter. Unlike one of the cults try to say, God didn't come knocking at her door in order to make her pregnant; the Holy Spirit put the seed inside of her; meaning that she still was going to give birth as a virgin! 

 Whatever you think about that, it is the way that God planned it: that a virgin would give birth to His Son! This is what I believe, because this is what the Bible truly says! If you have a Bible that says, "young maiden," then they are trying to twist the meaning, as if she really wasn't a virgin when she gave birth. 

 As for Moses and his determination to walk away from the pleasures of Egypt, he saw something far more important and promising in the God of his people; which were actually his people; making their God his God, much as Ruth felt in her heart...

""If you cling to your life, you will lose it; but if you give up your life for me, you will find it."" (Matthew 10:39 NLT)  

"The People of God" -2

 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season;" (Hebrews 11:25 KJV)

  "This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. So never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord. And don't be ashamed of me, either, even though I'm in prison for him. With the strength God gives you, be ready to suffer with me for the sake of the Good News. For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserve it, but because that was his plan from the beginning of time - to show us his grace through Christ Jesus." (2 Timothy 1:6-9 NLT)

 There are so many things that I can remember the Lord was doing during those first few years, after I asked Jesus into my heart. The most important one, was having me and my wife get married, as the church was not willing that we teach Sunday School, if we were not married. 

 When we first came together, we had both agreed not to be married; as it was, both of us were not that fond of any sort of institutional requirements, knowing that it didn't work out for many people we knew. My mother was married at least six times; and her mother was currently married to a man that spent more time with his mother than he did with his wife. 

 As for Moses, I can only imagine that he was drawn to his own people because they worshipped God, not the false gods that he grew up knowing. If you want to believe it, I say it was that God shaped hole, that caused him to ignore those false gods and seek after the God that the people he belonged to, always worshipped. 

 Whether or not you can understand it, if you have even the slightest glimpse of the real God, all other gods just don't make any sense, especially if they are animals or bugs, or any other thing created. Having experienced it myself, as I have shared before; when my school tried to tell me that man evolved from monkey's, there was no way that I was going to believe it, absolutely none! 

 I may have not known all that I should have known, but I did know the first part of the Bible, always believing it to be true. Even though we fellowshipped in a cult, they actually did believe in God. They might not have believed what they should have known about Jesus, but they most certainly believed in God and creation. 

 I am very concerned about many of the things that kids are taught in school, as they appear to be more and more focused on free-thinking and being what you want to be; totally ignoring the fact the way kids are, is the way they were created! Most children are aware of the things they should not do; they surely don't need teachers to tell them that it is perfectly fine to do whatever they want. 

 It all comes down to the Bible! Yes, it is the Bible that shows us what is right and wrong; taking the Bible out of the equation makes mankind start making their own rules; rules that sometimes make no sense, whatsoever! Anything that will make people ignore the God of creation...

"So don't be misled, my dear brothers and sisters. Whatever is good and perfect comes down from God our Father, who created all the lights in the heavens. He never changes or casts a shifting shadow. He chose to give birth to us by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his prized possession." (James 1:16-18 NLT)   

"The People of God"

 "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season." (Hebrews 11:25 KJV) 

  "But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God's very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light: "Once you had no identity as a people; now you are God's people. Once you received no mercy, now you have received God's mercy."" (1 Peter 2:9-10 NLT) 

 First of all, I feel that God chooses those who are meant for His specific plans; actually, way before they are even born, He already knows from where they will come and who will be the ones that bring them into this world. Additionally, there is also something that is planted within them, a seed of longing to know the One who made them, and what they are meant to be.

 Basically, we all are born with this, so called, 'God shaped hole,' that is longing to be filled; yet many will try all sorts of things in order to fill it; but nothing will ever satisfy that longing, until we actually let God fill it! If you don't believe it, then I feel sorry for you; as that means you have settled for something else and think you are satisfied with what you have; or should I say, with what has you!

 I can recall a time when I felt totally satisfied in my condition, doing all sorts of drugs and living a life that was, shall we say, free-spirited. I really didn't care about anything, or anyone but myself; and even that wasn't true, because I challenged death in all sorts of different ways. 

 There was this one specific time, when we were at General Quarters; and my location was stationed in Port Steering; which, if you don't know what that means, the four of us that are down there, in that little hole, will be the last to leave a sinking ship. There are manual steering abilities we had down there; when and if, the rest of the crew is off the ship, we were to keep the ship moving in a 2-mile circle; letting someone know the location of everyone else. 

 Anywho; this one night when we were practicing maneuvers, I was laying on the floor with my headset on, waiting for orders. I started thinking about God and about what it might feel like if this was a real situation and actually started to talk to God in my head. When I really started to focus on my thoughts and who it was that I was talking to, a voice rang out in my head, saying, "It is me!" I knew right then that it wasn't God, but that it was the devil. 

 You have to know, there was something I started to understand, which I already knew, but didn't really care too much about; but it was devil that had me feeling as though I did not care. Yet, it really didn't bother me because I thought I was having fun. 

 This is real! And I totally and completely believe, if God has chosen you, then you will, one way or another, surrender to His will and ask Jesus to come into your heart! There was this thing I heard Pastor Jack say, which was regarding those who are called; that they came to the gates seeing the sign that says, 'The called'; but on the other side of the gates, the sign says, 'The chosen'...

"Since God chose you to be the holy people he loves, you must clothe yourselves with tenderhearted mercy, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience." (Colossians 3:12 NLT) 

 

"Preparation"

 "By faith Moses, when he was come to years, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter;" (Hebrews 11:24 KJV)

  "I was circumcised when I was eight days old. I am a pure-blooded citizen of Israel and a member of the tribe of Benjamin - a real Hebrew if there ever was one! I was a member of the Pharisees, who demand the strictest obedience to the Jewish law. I was so zealous that I harshly persecuted the church. And as for righteousness, I obeyed the law without fault. I once thought these things were valuable, but now I consider them worthless because of what Christ has done. Yes, everything else is worthless when compared with the infinite value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have discarded everything else, counting it all as garbage, so that I could gain Christ and become one with him. I no longer count on my own righteousness through obeying the law, rather, I become righteous through faith in Christ. For God's way of making us right with himself depends on faith." (Philippians 3:5-9 NLT)

 Okay, this is all about three 40-year periods, where God makes good on His promise to the dream that He gave to Abraham. As I said before, it was this dream that made Abraham see his descendants, feeling the love in his heart for them, because of their 400 years of slavery; and God's great deliverance that will brings them back into their own land. 

 Moses was treated with all sorts of pleasures and given standing among the leaders of Egypt; yet, when he turned 40 years old, God put it on his heart to care for his own people, the children of Israel. You have to know what this might have looked like, and why the children of Israel were not so willing to trust him or think he was given any right to tell them what to do, in their personal lives.

 If you really think about it, having him change is a lot like what happen to Saul, who became Paul; many of the followers of Christ, really didn't trust him or even forgive him, for quite some time. Forty years of living the dream, and then forty years of being a shepherd; tuning into forty years in the wilderness. All of it being governed by faith and God's will and purposes...

"You can make many plans, but the LORD's purpose will prevail." (Proverbs 19:21 NLT)  

"The Faith of Moses"

  "It was by faith that Moses, when he grew up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. He chose to share the oppression of God's people instead of enjoying the fleeting pleasures of sin. He thought it was better to suffer for the sake of Christ than to own the treasures of Egypt, for he was looking ahead to his great reward. It was by faith that Moses left the land of Egypt, not fearing the king's anger. He kept right on going because he kept his eyes on the one who is invisible. It was by faith that Moses commanded the people of Israel to keep the passive and to sprinkle blood on the doorposts so that the angel of death would not kill their firstborn sons." (Hebrews 11:24-28 NLT) 

  "And when he was forty years old, it came into his heart to visit his brethren the children of Israel. And seeing one of them suffer wrong, he defended him, and avenged him that was oppressed, and smote the Egyptian: for he supposed his brethren would have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them; but they understood not. And the next day he showed himself unto them as they strove, and would have set them at one again, saying, Sirs, ye are brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? But he that did his neighbor wrong thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge over us? Will thou kill me, as thou didst the Egyptian yesterday? Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the land of Midian, where he begat two sons." (Acts 7:23-29 KJV)

 As we all should know, Moses was a little scared that he might have been caught for killing the Egyptian, as he had thought that it wouldn't get out that he had done so; so, he fled from Egypt and became a sheepherder in the land of Midian. Amazingly, that is not really an accidental job that he just stumbled into; God was guiding and training him for that wilderness journey, where he would be the shepherd for the children of Israel! 

 This really is all God's specific plans; and He is extremely good at making everything work towards His will and purposes...

  "And when forty years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. When Moses saw it, he wondered at the sight: and as he drew near to behold it, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying, I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Then Moses trembled, and durst not behold. Then said the Lord to him, Put off thy shoes from thy feet: for the place where thou standest is holy ground. I have seen, I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Egypt, and I have heard their groaning, and am come down to deliver them. And now come, I will send thee into Egypt. This Moses whom they refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and judge? the same did God send to be ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the bush." (Acts 7:30-35 KJV)