After God’s Heart: Home

Tag: word of God

  • Same God, Same Faith, Different Outcome

    Same God, Same Faith, Different Outcome

    Recently I memorized Hebrews chapter 11, the famous Hall of Fame of Faith. During my time memorizing, God began to open my eyes to things I had never noticed before. One of my takeaways was that while we CAN map out the very well traveled road of where our faith in Christ will take us spiritually, we cannot begin to guess where it will take us in this earthly life. Look with me, for example, at the first two men mentioned in the Hall of Faith – Abel and Enoch.

    • Two men beloved and pleasing to God.
    •  Two men with the same spiritual destination in Heaven.
    •  Two men who could not have met more opposing outcomes on earth.

    Abel’s Walk of Faith

    Abel and his brother Cain are both sons of their physical father Adam. But spiritually one is the son of Satan and the other a son of God. Genesis chapter 4 lays out a sweeping account of Abel’s life, faith, and death. In the space of 8 verses we see the sacrifices of Cain and Abel, the righteousness of Abel, the jealousy of Cain and the spilling of the first righteous man’s blood after Cain is rejected for trying to come to God his own way. (There’s only one way to God, and that is by faith in Jesus Christ, not in ourselves and our works)

    Because of his faith, Abel was counted as righteous by God who testified to this when He spoke to Cain. What does Abel receive by faith? All of the promises of God including right standing with Him, eternal life and the heavenly city He has prepared for His children! (See Hebrews 11:13-16)

    However in the physical realm, Cain is overcome with the passionate sin of jealousy when he is not accepted by God. Cain destroys him that is accepted – that is, Abel.

    So, Abel received spiritual life because of his faith. But because his faith stirred the jealous hatred of his brother Cain, the outcome of his spiritual faith was his physical murder (death).

    Enoch’s Walk of Faith

    As shocking as Abel’s physical ending was, Enoch’s couldn’t be a more wild contrast. Abel and Enoch have both come to God by faith. Both are called righteous. Both have received spiritual life. But while Abel endured the brutal death of being being murdered by his very own brother because of his right standing with God, Enoch is whisked away to Heaven by the Lord, escaping physical death altogether! The Bible says he “walked with God and he was not, because God took him.” He escapes the coming judgement of the flood, he escapes physical death even though he was a prophet in his time and spoke the truth to a wicked generation (See Jude). Enoch’s life was preserved to the uttermost. Whoa. What a contrast!

    Take Heart

    When I ask the questions, “What does this say about God’s ways? What does this mean for my life?” Two things come to mind:

    Firstly, that our righteousness is not a predictor of how life (or death) will go for us. There is a common teaching that if you are pleasing to the Lord nothing bad will happen to you. Well, tell that to Abel! While the Lord does often give protection and great provision to His people, our physical safety is not guaranteed. In fact, in Matthew 10:28 Jesus says the following,

    *28 “Do not fear those who kill the body but are unable to kill the soul; but rather fear Him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell.”

    The encouragement for me here is this: we’re not living for the physical outcomes, which are temporary, but we are living for the King, Jesus Christ and for eternity, for the kingdom of God that we are a part of by faith.

    My second thought is this, that although there’s no security in knowing just how our physical life will play out as we walk by faith, there is great security in knowing our God and His plans for us. Romans 8:28-29 says the following:

    *28 And we know that God causes all things to work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to His purpose.

    29 For those whom He foreknew, He also predestined to become conformed to the image of His Son, so that He would be the firstborn among many brethren;

    If God is causing ALL things to work together for good, EVEN the bad things, then that is really comforting news. And not only this but the good that He is bringing about for those who have trusted in Him, is that He is making us more like Jesus, conforming us to the likeness of Christ.

    It’s not all about us either. We are to live our lives in a way that shows off the light within us. 1 Peter 2:12 says this:

    *Keep your behavior excellent among the Gentiles, so that in the thing in which they slander you as evildoers, they may because of your good deeds, as they observe them, glorify God in the day of visitation.

    So no matter what’s happening here on this earth or what we’re facing in this life, let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, the Author and Perfecter of our faith. Let’s walk in the Light. Lay up our treasures in heaven, and entrust our future(s) to the One who preserves our souls for life with Him on the other side. Never forget that He is working all things together for our good and for His glory. ❤️

     

     

    *New American Standard Bible: 1995 Update. 1995. La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.

  • Running the Race of Faith

    1.23.2025

    Running the Race of Faith

    Hebrews 12:1-2

    My brother ran a one-hundred-mile race in Colorado this past year. Yes, you read that right, one hundred miles. Was it difficult? I can’t even imagine! Did he have to have help? Yes! He had friends and family help pace him parts of the way, as well as provide for physical needs like rehydrating, and no doubt, encouraging him at waypoints as well. He could not have done it alone.


    We also are running a race. The race of faith. And we also have friends and the family of God, along with all the witness of the saints of the past to encourage us. Most importantly, we have a God who strengthens us and supplies our every need to be able to continue.

    Hebrews 12: 1-2 says this:

    “Therefore, since we have so great a cloud of witnesses surrounding us, let us also lay aside every encumbrance and the sin which so easily entangles us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of faith, who for the joy set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.”

    We are to fix our eyes on Jesus. The goal in a race is to cross the finish line. The race we are running is not a race of miles but a race of years, of our entire lifetime. How do we get there without giving up?

    It’s not by looking directly at the finish line. It is by looking beyond it to the face of our Savior.

    We fix our eyes on Jesus. Every. Step. Of. The. Way.

    In fact, the very next verse goes on to say this:

    “For consider Him who endured such hostility by sinners against Himself so that you do not grow weary and lose heart.”

    (Hebrews 12:3, NASB 1995)

    When we say, “Lord this is hard.” He comforts us and points us to His Son, our faithful high priest and advocate and says, consider My Son and what He endured for you.

    Somehow, our problems become much smaller when compared to those of our Lord Jesus. What a comfort it is to know that He who deserves the glories of heaven, endured all manner of temptations, hardships, mockings, rejection, persecution, slander and the list goes on, to save us and as the scripture says, to be our example. (See 1 Peter 2:21)

    When we are weak, if we will fix our eyes on Jesus and cling to Him to sustain us, He will. He will endow you with strength, comfort, and encouragement that only He can provide.

     In the same way that my brother did not run his race alone, but had helpers and encouragers, we too run in the same manner. The family of God is scattered all over this world. His servants are everywhere! They will come in and out of your life as you run. One will help pace you for a bit, and another may refresh your soul when it is dry with the Living Water and feed you with the Bread of Life when you are weak. Someone will offer a word or a promise of God at a way station and send you off running again.

    But friend, the greatest help is this – that He Himself will be with you. He has said, “I will never leave thee nor forsake thee.” (Hebrews 13:5b KJV)

    The Almighty God, the Everlasting Father is always with you when you follow Him. So yes, people will come in and out of your life.

    But the One who is with you always will be there every step of the way. Fix your eyes on Him. Don’t stop. Keep going. Run the race well, so that when you cross the finish line, we can all be celebrating!

    Prayer and Closing

    Lord, I’m fixing my eyes on You. Thank You for Your promise to never leave me. Thank you for the example You have given me in Jesus. Teach me and help me to honor You in all my ways. I want to run my race well. I want to finish well. At the end of my life I want to hear You say, “Well done, good and faithful servant.”

    Friend, I’m praying for you. Let’s run the race of faith together, and honor the Lord. At the end, we will be able to say as Paul did in 2 Timothy 4:7-8:

    “7 I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 8 Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me, but also to all who have longed for his appearing.”

    The New International Version. 2011. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.

     

  • Idols in the Dark

    Idols in the Dark

    1/22/2025

    Idols In Dark Rooms by Mary Lou.

    “…Is there not a lie [idol] in my right hand?” (Isaiah 44:20 NASB, 1995)

    I had been making and chasing idols of all kinds, both tangible and intangible for many years. When I could no longer believe the lie of one idol, it lost its appeal and I cast it aside. But instead of turning to God I was always quick to find another and cling to it, the flash and appeal of a new lie I hadn’t yet tasted.

    They were heavy. They were harmful. They led me to brokenness in so many ways.

    This conversation was the beginning of the end of my idolatry:

    “Mom had a stroke.” He said softly.

    “Oh my God!” I reached my hand out, touching his arm comfortingly. The words that came next were unexpected.

    “I may need to move back to help them out.” He said.

    My eyes widened, taking in the implications of my then boyfriend (and the main breadwinner of our home) moving out of state.

    “Well I won’t be moving if we’re not married!” I shot back as I recoiled.

    “I didn’t say you had to.” Came the soft response. “Go or stay, that’s your choice, but I may need to go.”

    Here was another idol, my relationship, being brought into the light, its deception crumbling. It was full of compromise and trial. My boyfriend was an alcoholic and we were both miserable. But I needed him. And I clung to him. I had found security in knowing I had someone who was committed to me, who would always be there for me. I knew my relationship was solid, until I realized it wasn’t.

    I was living a lie. In a flash I realized I didn’t believe my status as girlfriend held the same rights and security as a wife. Our conversation proved just how fragile our commitment really was. Waking up from pretending was devastating. I had thought I could take God’s rules and discard them to build my own empire, my way. But God is a great King and the Creator of all things and His ways are not lightly cast aside without consequence.

    “(For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.” (2 Corinthians 10:3-5 KJV)

    Truth crumbles the castles and fortresses of the darkness, it changes perceptions and directions. Truth is the only lasting Cornerstone. When we’re groping our way through the darkness and suddenly stub our toe on the immovable unyielding truth, we can curse it for confronting us or we can embrace it and build on it. I had a long track record of cursing and stumbling and I was weary of it.

    I let go of the idol, the lie, that was in my right hand. I humbled myself and asked real questions. Looked for real answers. I started attending a small Bible study. I wanted what was real and I wanted life. I found it in Jesus Christ.

    “Lord, I’ve made such a mess. None of the things I chased after and held on to have taken me anywhere good. They have wounded and broken me and left me empty. My life is a wreck and it’s spinning out of control. If You’re willing, I give You all this broken mess and whatever is left of me. I bow before You as King. From here on out, I will follow You. No exceptions.”

    That was the prayer I prayed in 2019. Since that time, I have since been increasingly living within the boundaries God created and has given us in His word. Living in the Light of fellowship with Him and with His people. The change He has wrought in my life is immeasurable.

    Surrendering everything to Jesus resulted in the death of the old me and that was excruciating. But it resulted in new life. Abundant life. Peace. Fulfillment. Flourishing. I want that for you too.

    Prayer and Reflection

    Lord, reveal to us the deceptions, the lies, the idols we have unknowingly taken hold of and clung to. Let us be transformed by the truth of Your word and Your Son. We humble ourselves before you and seek You.

    Friend, are there any idols, any lies, that the Lord has revealed to you? Is there any misplaced hope for fulfillment?

    Will you cast it aside and build on the Rock, Jesus Christ? If you do, you will not be put to shame, for all your deeds will then be wrought in the Light.

    The one who builds his life, his house, on the foundation that is Jesus builds an everlasting house. A thing both strong and beautiful, wrought of the Lord, that no storm of life or wind of change can tear down.

    “Behold I will lay thy stones with fair colours, and lay thy foundations with sapphires.” (Isaiah 54:11 KJV)

  • Chasing After God’s Heart – Blog Dedication

    1/21/2025

    I gave my life fully to Christ in late 2019, and my whole world turned upside down (or should I say, right side up?)

    Since that moment God has continuously, painstakingly immersed me in, and walked me through, a series of fires to burn away the dross of old vices, mindsets, and worldly perspectives.

    The purifying changes God has wrought in my heart and mind; the things I have learned about His nature and character and word, I long to make known to you. My burning desire is that the church may experience increased fellowship with our Father, and with one another. May you be both challenged and encouraged along your journey and be “built up in your most holy faith.”

    With this desire in mind, I dedicate this blog to You, O Lord. You are the Living and True God, Creator, Redeemer, Sustainer and Friend. Lord Jesus, I hold all things loosely so as not to grab or grasp at something not made for or given to me, and whether whether this blog reaches one or many, as for me, I chase after You. Let me gaze upon Your Word and upon Your works and may I never be the same.

    I leave you today with these words, “what we have seen and heard we proclaim to you also, so that you too may have fellowship with us; and indeed our fellowship is with the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.

    These things we write, so that our joy may be made complete.” (1 John1:3-4)

    Soli Deo gloria!