Look at the nations and watch and be utterly amazed.
For I am doing something in your own day, something you wouldn't believe even if someone told you about it.
Habakkuk 1:5
I attend Celebration Church in Jacksonville, Florida. Several weeks ago at Sub30, which is the young adult service, the pastor spoke on one of my all-time favorite verses:
Psalm 119:105
Your Word is a Lamp unto My Feet and a Light unto My Path!
One of the points he made was that as Christians we're instructed to:
Walk by Faith and Not by Sight (2 Corinthians 5:7)
FAITH by definition means:
Confidence or trust in a person or thing;
Belief that is not based on proof;
Belief in God or in the doctrines or teachings of religion;
A system of religious belief
Hebrews 11:1 says "Now faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
More often than not, we put our hope, trust and faith in the wrong people, places, and/or things
This causes crushed spirits, broken dreams, huge let downs, pain, and sorrow,
The list could go on and on
If we really dig deep into Psalm 119:105,
There are several things we can learn about trusting in God and walking by faith instead of sight…
Lamps only allow us to see 2-3 steps in either direction
Because lamps limits how far we can see, they don't allow us to see too far into the past!
Too often we're weighed down by our past mistakes
Carrying them around like heavy coats
Which prevents us from moving forward
However, when we ask for God's forgiveness, He no longer looks at our sins or our pasts!!
He has removed our sins as far from us
as the east is from the west.
Psalm 103:12
Anyone who belongs to Christ has become a new person
The old life is gone; a new life has begun!
2 Corinthians 5:17
God showed how much he loved us by sending His one and only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through Him.
1 John 4:9
I, yes, I alone will blot out your sins for my own sake
and will never think of them again
Isaiah 43:25
Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.
For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Wow! God has removed my sins
I've become a new creation in Him
He loves me enough to send His one and only Son to save me
He's blotted out my sins for all of eternity
And He takes my burdens upon Himself!
Without God's lamp – we often look too far into our pasts
With God's lamp, however, we stop looking at our pasts because we can't see more than 2-3 steps at any given time
We stop looking at the person we used to be
We stop thinking about the mistakes we've made
We begin focusing on who God created us to be!
Lamps don't show you the full destination either!
When we walk with the Lord, carrying His lamp in our hands, He only shows us a few steps at a time
Remember, we're called to walk by FAITH, not SIGHT
… BUT …
As humans, we want to trade-in the lamp for a FLASHLIGHT!!!
We WANT to see more than the lamp allows
With a flashlight in hand
We shine the light towards the destination with the hope of getting there in our own strength
In our own way
In our own timing
With the flashlight in our hand
We forget about God and we certainly don't look to God for His supernatural guidance or direction
However, the Lord said:
My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts
And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine
For just as the heavens are higher than the earth
So my ways are higher than your ways
And my thoughts higher than your thoughts
Isaiah 55:8-9
If God showed you the full destination from the beginning
Would you choose to follow His path?!?
Would you choose His destination if you saw the trials, tribulations, twists and turns that would arise in your life?
It's like you wouldn't
I can't say I would
Thank God our paths are not lit by a flashlight or our limited human understanding!
I'm thankful that the Lord knows better than us and only gives us what we can handle
God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear
1 Corinthians 10:13
I will gladly light my path with His lamp
Lighting only 2-3 steps at any given moment!
I freely place my faith in God and step into the unknown because:
I know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them.
(Romans 8:28)
