* This something that God has been showing me and by no means is this meant to make me any more than anyone else and yes to some of you this may make me a hypocrite, but i know they called Jesus worse. I feel… I know i have to share this so I will. I hope and pray that this reaches whomever god is intending this to reach. If you read this and it helps you then praise God. If you read this and are offended or think “how could he write this"?” You did not have to read this, it was your choice. Also this came out really long so I'm breaking it up into parts. God bless.*
Getting in God’s way: Wanting more and not excepting what God has already given and or done. Wanting to be and or do something other than what you know God has call you for or given you the gifts that he created for you and intended for you to use and or be
When I say this I do not mean become complacent and just except whatever comes and whatever falls in your life and in your way. That is not God’s way at all. An example of what I mean is turning away a bowl of rice because its not a steak all the while you have been praying and praying to god to rid you of your hunger. Another example of what I mean is having a gift to sing, but never doing so because you want to dance, or having a gift to write but never doing so because you want to paint, or draw, or whatever.
All that, all of those things are hindrances not for god, but for you. God created you with a purpose and a plan, but it is up to you to seek it out, get with it, and stick to it.
How can you get out of God’s way and Get with his program?: Sit down, shut up and listen.
That might seem a little harsh but it is the truth. The example of sitting down is stop trying to make something happen and doing all that you can to make that things happen instead of turning it over to God and letting him work it out. The Shut up and listen part is simply listen to what God is trying to tell you, listen when God is trying to speak to you. I know some Christians like to pray and that is a very good thing, but some don't like to listen. You can pray and pray and pray and pray and pray and that might in some cases be a good thing. In other cases I think God says,
“I heard you the first 500 times just wait a minuet.” or “ I heard you the first 500 times if you be quiet and listen you’ll hear the answer your asking of me or get the thing you are asking of me”
I know some people get so upset when you interrupt their prayer that they really just get mad at you and try to make you feel bad about it not realizing that God could be sending you to answer the very thing they are asking for or about.
Genesis 24:1-16 tells how a servant of Abraham was given the task of finding a wife for one of his sons. The servant also had a set of particulars to make sure that the one that he picked would make the cut. What amazes me about this servant was that he did not even believe in Abrahams God. He had his own God (God’s really) but because he wanted to please Abraham so much he prayed to Abrahams god to send him the woman that would make the cut and fit all the particulars. I could go on about how much faith that must have taken but that is another tangent. The point here is that the bible says before he could even finish praying Rebecca came around the corner and fulfilled not only his requirements but many many more. The servant got out of god’s way, got with god’s program. This servant listen and received when god spoke and gave.
When trouble comes or things start to go wrong (and the will go wrong) we often say to ourselves,
“Ok if I put in some overtime, or take that other job.”
When the car breaks down sometimes our first thought is,
“I hope cousin Johnny is not busy and can fit me in otherwise I’ll have to take it to the shop and if I have to do that I wont have the money to pay the light bill …”
Half the time we go through those things because we don't do what we promised God we would do, PRAY. All of that belongs to God. God wants you to seek him first everyday and in everyway and in everything. The car could have broken down because god is making a way for a new one. That unexpected bill that you don't have the money to pay could be a trust exercise. Are you going to do what you told god you would do and trust him, or are you going to (try to) make away yourself.
The bible says in Luke 5:1-7 Simon had been out fishing all day and had not even caught one fish and had packed it up. He was washing his nets and was done for the day, but Jesus had came along. (When I read this scripture I think of the Johnny Cash song “When the man comes around”) Jesus got in Simon’s boat and told him to cast out his net. Your average person (today) would have said,
“Man, you trippin. We’ve been out here ALL DAY and have not caught even one, one, fish. I'm not doing that. I'm going home, get out of my boat.”
Yet, that is not what Simon did. Simon said,
“We have not caught anything all day, not even one small fish, but because you ask me to do it I will.”
The bible then goes on to say that they caught so many fish that their nets started to break from the weight and the amount of them all and that they had to call some friends to help them because they had caught so much fish that their boats began to sink under the weight. Simon shut his moth and listened to god, He had faith in that moment and let god’s will (not his own) be done and in that moment he witness the rewards of getting out of god’s way, getting with god’s program, and sticking with it. Now in Luke 5:8 he moves to another moment that is another tangent for something else. Seek him first is what we are supposed to do, worry or try to work it out ourselves is not what we are supposed to do.
Get out of God’s way.
Another MAJOR example of Getting out of god’s way, getting with god’s program, and sticking with it is Joseph. Joseph I think gets so discounted by the whole of Christendom, but he really is such example to us all.
In the first two chapters of the book of Mathew Joseph is given a choice when he sees that Mary; this woman that is promised to him as his wife and is supposed to be a virgin is pregnant. He could do what society tells him is the lawful thing to do and publicly shame her and in that time he could have even had her put to death. He could do what society said was the right thing, the just thing, and the “good” thing and just quietly get the today’s equivalent of an annulment. The last choice was he could do the “Godly” thing and get out of God’s way and get with God’s program. The bible says that Joseph had already decided that he had made up his mind to do the “good” thing and secretly and quietly get an annulment and not put Mary to shame (this is a tangent but I love how god takes “good” people, not great people but “good” people and calls them to do and be of “godly” things). Then an angel of the lord spoke to him in a dream and said,
“So check this out, here’s the deal Mary is carrying God’s son in her womb. Name him Jesus because God is fulfilling his word here.”
The bible says that after that dream Joseph woke up and took Marry as his wife. He could have done so much worse but he did the Godly thing. He simply got out of God’s way.
The Godly thing was not to bring down city walls, or to part seas, or walk or water, or have strength or intelligence equal to no other man. The Godly thing that God called Joseph to do was to take Mary as his wife even though the child in her womb was not his own. Sometimes the godly thing can be that simple. Sometimes the Godly thing that god has told, and is telling us to do is to simply to get out of his way, get with the program he has created since the beginning of time, and stick with it, but we sometimes have to shut up, sit down and listen to get it.
God already has a plan and if we have a true love and understanding of God we know that even though we don't know and never will know god’s plan, even if we don't get what god’s plan is for us and our life is; the plan that God has for our life is part of his plan for everything and God’s plans never fail. If we turn over our life to him and let his will be ours, let his plans be ours even in the mists of what the world would consider failure not only are we succeeding but we are conquering.
Its and insult to god if you really think about it. Here it is he creates this perfect perfection for your life just because he loves you (and loves you so much he gives you the option that you don't even have to if you don't want to because you have free will) and you go and do what the law says; what society says; or even what world considers good when he is calling you to so much more, so much greater. He is calling you to Godliness but first you have to get out of his way.
Sticking with and to the program: Follow through and trust god, pray and wait, pray and listen, stick to what he has told you until he tells you something different. If you want it god will give but be mindful and before asking think “is this what I need?” Don't grow comfortable with the tings that the world places in your life. Don't allow the things that the world and even god brings into your life define you and determine your worth. Basically do not make someone or thing an “idol” that has a place in your heart and life next to god. (I know right that was a lot but sometimes it takes a lot.)
The bible is full of people who stick with and to the program even when it seems like it wasn't working out. If we go back to Joseph in Mathew chapter two we see that the devil began to work and that Joseph’s troubles start, but instead of saying,
“oh see, here comes trouble I'm out.”
He stuck to and with the program.
The Bible says in Mathew chapter two that when Herod (the king of Israel at that time) heard about these three “wise men” looking for for the king of the Jews saying that they saw his star in the sky and we have come to worship him. He got upset and scared. He had fear. (I love how the bible calls them wise men because I think if the bible had been written today they would have been called three “strangers” because here are these men from far off lands that no one knows about and had never heard of before come in and are seeking Jesus to worship him even before the world knew he was there.)
If you look into Herod’s character and history this was an out right threat. First Herod had backed Antony and Cleopatra but we know how that turned out and the only way he was not one of the few that did not get their heads cut off was to be a turn coat and swear loyalty to Octavian. Herod built many temples to Roman god’s and was a true lover of all thing Greek all the while technically being a Jew (because his father converted to Judaism and his mother was liked by the Jewish people.) and because of that the Jews at the time tolerated Herod as their king, were comfortable with Herod as their King and the fact that their King was under the authority of Rome and not God, but that soon changed.
Herod played along with these three wise men and told them when they found this Child to let him know so he could come worship too but Herod’s plan (getting in god’s way) was to kill this child. The priests and the scribes of the land at that time told Herod that these men were not crazy and this was a prophecy being fulfilled. God did not let that happen though. He sent an angel to the wise men and told them to not only not tell Herod when they found Jesus but to go a different way than what they came. This pissed Herod off even more because now he did not know who this Christ was. In an effort to “CYA” he said,
“Alright, Ill just kill every male child of this age and that should cover it.”
I think about that and it blows my mind. In an effort to keep is place, to maintain his title Herod became a mass murder OF BABBIES. Herod let the devil use him and he destroyed an entire generation just to keep his place, his status.
What would you do to keep your job, car, home, title, office, salary, parking spot, name on the door, (fill in blank)? People get so caught up in things and stuff that they not only let the things and stuff define them but the actually see their worth in the things and stuff.
Get out of god’s way, get with his program, and stick with and to the program.
The Angel came back to Joseph and told him to get up and take you and your wife and child into Egypt until I saw otherwise. Here again If we think about Joseph situation. He could have said,
“Hell its not my son anyway why should I care.”
and in those times the only place that was just as worse as Rome in its decadence and corruption was Egypt. I could just see Joseph’s face going,
“huh, Egypt? you playin right?”
The only thing I could think of that would be the equivalent in today’s world would the father of and Amish family living on a farm in Minnesota somewhere next to nowhere saying to his family one day,
“Um everyone as we all know things are getting tough so God has spoken to me and we are moving to Las Vegas until god tells me otherwise.”
Joseph stuck with and to the program even when it did not seem to make any logical, feasible, sense at all. Joseph went into Egypt.
