"This is Only A Test"
read pages 65-69 "One in a Million" by Priscilla Shirer
We have tests in school to see how well we are learning the material....and we have tests in our spiritual lives.
Read:
I Peter 1:6-7
Ex. 15:25; 16:4; Deut 8:2
1st test: Red Sea uncrossable....God parted it.
2nd test: Bitter water at Marah...God made it sweet.
3rd test: no food between Elim and Sinai....what did God do? Ex. 16:12
We need to learn that we cannot have the benefits and blessings of Canaan without first learning how to walk through the wilderness in dependence and faithfulness. read Psl. 66:10 "For You have tried us, O God; You have refined us as silver is refined."
Read Ex. 16:1-7.....How did the people initially respond to their hunger? Think about this: When the Lord allowed His children to run out of their own supply of food, test time arrived. We look back on their situation and think: "Didn't they know that God's intention toward them was good?", but they panicked. But before we stand in judgement, let's ask how are we doing on passing our own similar tests? Don't we continually forget God's past expressions of love and continue to go on questioning His character?!
List some lessons God has taught you. Assign yourself a grade to signify how well you think you did on the test.
Psl. 26:2 "Examine me, O Lord, and try me; Test my mind and my heart."
How might the Israelites have responded had they recognized their hunger as a spiritual test? How might knowing that the Lord tests us alter your response to the next challenge life presents?
Know this to be true: A SEASON OF EMPTINESS WILL ACCOMPANY YOUR JOURNEY TO THE PROMISED LAND! We recognize our stomach's need for food, but do we recognize that a spiritual dryness or hunger can only be satisfied by true spiritual food? God designs and allows spiritual emptiness so that He can be the only One who can satisfy it!
How do you know when an inner hunger is meant for only God, not someone/something else in your life, to fill?
Psl. 107:9 says: that the Lord "satisfies the longing soul, and the hungry soul He fills with good things." We must search the Word, spend time in prayer, and yield to the Holy Spirit's leading in our lives. "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satisfied" Matt. 5:6.
Spend some time considering God's faithfulness in your life. When you find inside yourself a gnawing hunger that you can't fill with any relationship, success, or earthly resources, consider that God is leading you to an opportunity to better know Him as your SUSTAINER. Maybe church-as-usual is becoming less satisfying and your soul hungers for more than a mere conference or message or song, perhaps God is calling you to HIS KITCHEN. That doesn't mean its time to stop going to church or begin a search for a new congregation. It just means that He is calling you to spend more quality time with Him. Recognize hunger as God's gift to draw you closer to Him.
John 6:27 says: "we labor not for the food which perishes, but for the food which endures to everlasting life".
Personal comment: I seem to continually be learning this lesson! Even now, I must remind myself of God's constant provision in my life. When it seems like we are facing situation that might really stump God, we must remember that He looks for situations to create a miracle in our lives so that His manifest presence and power will be seen. We live to glorify God....AMEN!
Seeking God's Best,
Becky
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See you at our home next Friday February 5 from 8:00 - 11:00pm for Fellowship, Fun, and Food. Come prepared to laugh, eat, and meet new friends. Call me for more details: 904-955-5122 or rsvp to this email.
directions; exit Gene Snyder and go south on Bardstown Road about 3 miles. After you pass Glenmary, a Castle-like school on your left, and Bootleg BBQ on your right....look for a lane to turn left onto Bardstown Bluff Road. Pass the white Baptist Church on your left and look for a place to park on the right (across from our driveway on the left). 10225 Bardstown Bluff Road 40291
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