RAISING YOUR EYE OF FAITH OVER YOUR CIRCUMSTANCE

"… Now raise your eyes and look from where you stand northward, southward, eastward and westward, for all the land you are viewing I will give you and your offspring forever." Gen 13.14

"yet, looking unto the promise of God, he wavered not through unbelief, but waxed strong through faith, giving glory to God." Romans 4:20 (ASV)

Hi Everyone. Friday afternoon here in Vista, CA. Beautiful day! So thankful for everything the Lord has provided. I have been greatly encouraged over the last couple weeks meditating on the call of Abraham, the father of faith, and his amazing walk of faith. Here are a couple thoughts on Abraham and his faith.

We know that Abraham was called to follow God at the age of 75 and that he died at the age of 175. Well, doing the math, we find that Abraham walked with God, BY FAITH, for 100 years. The man who, according to Romans 4.13 received the promise to be HEIR OF THE WORLD, only ever owned one piece of property, Machpelah – a grave site where he buried Sarah and was himself buried. To me this is so amazing that a man with such a great promise of inheriting the whole world, only physically possessed a little plot of land for a family cemetery. For a century the Father of Faith walked up and down his "promise land" and never physically owed any of it; yet possessed it all by faith and by promise! That, my friend, is an example of "through faith and patience."

But how could Abraham walk so long by faith and never give up when he never physically possessed the land given to him. How did he stay encouraged and focused so long on the God's promise to him? How did Abraham keep his faith strong and not wavering? How do we keep "focused" on the promises of God for our life and ministries when crunch-time comes and every circumstance is screaming at us that the promise is gone…no way it can come to pass now? Romans 4:21 gives us one of the great secrets to Abraham's great faith. It tells us that he wavered not and staggered not at the promise of God by "looking unto the promise" God had given him. This was key to his strong faith. What Abraham looked at is what he had faith for! This is one of the most important principles of walking by faith. We must learn to walk by faith by "seeing only the promise of God" for our lives and not what we see with our five natural senses. This is so true: we will have faith in what we see, in what we are looking at. Looking only at the promise of God then is critical, is vital to strong faith. Oh that today we would "raise our eyes and look to the north, south, east and west" of our lives, and see only the great and precious promises of God.

Today is a new day. Let us raise our faith by looking at and continuing to look at only God's eternal promises that He has given to us. Let's put all our weakness and feebleness and doubts and even unbelief behind us and let's look again, really look and keep looking at the Promise! For if we don't get discouraged and cast away our confidence, in due season, at the appointed time God will come to us and fulfill all His amazing promises. Let's climb up the "Mountain of Faith and Vision" and raise our eyes of faith and look again at all God's great and precious promises for our lives! If you will do this, you will find your faith coming alive and soaring high over the fog of circumstances that is shrouding your life. You will have climbed to such an altitude of faith to see clearly the promise land God has given to you – the north, south, east and west of your life! God promises – if you can see it, is yours! So let's look again and keep looking and possess what has been promised us! Amen.

Next week I want to focus on Genesis 13:18 and how important it was to Abraham's faith to move his "tent" to Mamre and Hebron. Stay strong! Raise your eyes of faith and keep hold of your promise! God bless.

Pastor Matt.

Search Me O God and Know My Heart

Good morning Family of God. Hope all is well with you this beautiful So Cal morning. It's been a great day already for me. We had a great time of prayer with the men of The River; and then in my devotions this morning. I was so blessed by Psalm 139.23-24.

Psalms 139:23-24 (HCSB)
Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my concerns. ²⁴ See if there is any offensive way in me; lead me in the everlasting way.

Here David expresses his great desire for God to know his heart in all its depths. He wants God himself to search him, and search him completely; shifting every motive, every thought, till every part of his heart, with all of its deepest thoughts, is known and understood. He almost demands an investigation. This is not what most of us are asking God for – "God, come and put me on trial! Investigate everything about me. Come search and look and discover all that is in me, my innermost self, and see if there is there is anything that offends you!"

David, at this time in his walk with God, is so bold in asking God to come and shift his heart. You would have to feel pretty good about your heart to talk like this. But this very thing we need to ask God to do for us – "search us O God! Come and search and shift and reveal all that is still of Adam living in me and take away that fallen man and clothe me in Christ head to toe. Oh that we would have the grace to ask God for such an inquiry! Instead of drawing back into the shadows of fear and compromise and sin, may we come boldly into God's penetrating light. May we once and for all get rid of our "fig leaves" and dwell forever in God's penetrating and liberating light!

Be assured of this, the Holy Spirit is today, within us, searching the depths of our hearts.  Jeremiah 17.9,10 "the human (carnal or natural) heart is more deceitful than anything else, and incurable-who can understand it? I, the Lord, examine the mind, I test the heart…" The Spirit of Grace and the Spirit of Truth will not leave us to ourselves. He comes faithfully to us, working in us, removing our heart of compromise and sin, putting His desires in us, taking out of us our "hearts of flesh," that is willing and able to do the will of God.  

Try me, and know my thoughts. Let us pray as David did, and be honest, for we cannot hide our sin; our salvation and blessing is in the discovery of evil, and the repentance and cutting off, by God's grace, of sin. My prayer is that each of us would desire such searching; for sin to remain in our hearts unknown and undiscovered will only steal our blessings and fruitfulness. This morning come to the Throne of Grace to receive mercy for our failures and grace to help us be Christlike in the deepest parts of our life. Come, crying out "search me Father, and see if there is anything in me harmful, sinful,

 

'A true believer fears no trial. He is willing to be tried by God. He is willing to have his faith tried by others, he shuns not the touchstone. He is much in testing himself. He is willing to hear the worst as well as the best. The preaching that pleases him best which is that preaching that is most searching and convicting: Hebrews 4:12. —David Clarkson (1622-1686).