“Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”  Genesis 22:2

    Abraham was obviously a man of great faith! Can you imagine his reaction when God instructed him to sacrifice his only son as a burnt offering? And THEN, imagine Isaac’s reaction when he found out that he himself was to be that burnt offering! YIKES!

    Abraham trusted God because he knew Him. He knew that whatever God instructed him to do would work out for the good because He is GOD. Wow! To have that kind of faith! It’s obvious that Isaac also had faith and fully trusted Abraham and God. Most sons his age would have ran for their lives! But not Isaac.

    In Genesis 17:19 God tells Abraham “…. your wife Sarah will bear you a son, and you will call him Isaac. I will establish my covenant with him as an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him.  Abraham trusted God, obeyed God, and believed God was a God of His word when He told Abraham of the covenant He would establish with Isaac. According to that covenant, Isaac would HAVE to be alive in order to have ‘descendants after him.’ After all, he hadn’t had children yet. And he knew God did not lie.

   Abraham reasoned that God could even raise the dead, and so in a manner of speaking he did receive Isaac back from death. Hebrews 11:19

    Although not knowing what God had planned, according to Hebrews 11:19 Abraham had faith that He would raise Isaac from the dead because he knew He could. 

    This story of Abraham and Isaac prefigures God’s ‘Ultimate Sacrifice’, Jesus Christ in many ways. Like Jesus, Isaac was the only son, whom was loved by his father. Both Jesus and Isaac are to be sacrificed on a hill (the same hill) and each offered by their father. Both carried the wood that they were to be sacrificed on (Isaac the firewood and Jesus the Cross). Both were voluntarily willing to be sacrificed.

    On that hill, in place of Isaac, God provided the ‘substitutionary sacrificial lamb’, a ram (Genesis 22:13). Because of sin, you and I should be on that Cross but God provided us with the ‘substitutionary sacrificial lamb’, Jesus. 

It’s hard to trust God when we don’t understand the whole plan.

When is a time when you didn’t fully have faith and trust God, but realized later that He had it all under control?

• They took place over 2000 years ago. As years go by, we become more removed from the events that took place in our past generations.
• Pictures, statues, and even the films don’t depict the true gruesomeness and severity of the events.
• Crucifixions aren’t performed in our age. Very few details are spelled out in scripture, probably because it was a common form of punishment in those days.
• We weren’t physically there to witness His last hours, therefore, we can’t imagine it in a real sense. Similarly, I heard the news, heard people’s stories, and even saw pictures of 9/11, the hurricanes, fires and floods, but I can’t begin to grasp the reality like the people who were actually affected.
• People who have a distant relationship with Jesus or don’t know Him at all, naturally don’t understand the impact of the Crucifixion.

Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things passed away; behold, new things have come.  2 Corinthians 5:17

    Do you ever have nagging images from your past that come to mind way too often? Those ‘poor choice’ moments where you have done something hurtful or wrong and you’re sure everyone in the whole world remembers and judges you on it? Those times when you opened your mouth with good intentions only to find yourself saying something totally out of context, incorrect, poor timing or just plain dumb? Those times you’ve made ‘life changing’ decisions that didn’t end up so good?

    Through all the years of worldly choices, it’s easy to let your past define who you are. It affects your self-confidence. It clouds your vision of who you really are and who you can be. But most of all, it distorts your vision of who God sees you as.

    It’s difficult to let your past be your ‘past’. But God says that old things have passed away; behold, new things have come. When you made the decision to let Jesus into your life, you repented of your sins (gave God your past) and became a ‘new creation’. In other words, we no longer belong to the world, but we belong to God. Acts 3:19 says that your sins are wiped out and 1 John 1:9 says that you are purified from all unrighteousness.

Repent therefore and turn to God so that your sins may be wiped out. Acts 3:19

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

    When you hang on to your past, replaying it in your mind, failing to acknowledge that God has wiped it clean, you feel like you are dragging a ‘ball & chain’. You’re burdened as if you have the weight of the world on you. I don’t know about you, but I have enough stress and I’m dragging enough weight around without the ‘ball and chain’ of my past.

    Not having a clear vision of who you really are also hinders relationships. When you visualize yourself as others still see you, you can tend to see yourself as less than who you truly are. When you visualize others as thinking less of you than they really do, you respond as if you don’t deserve their friendship and you distance yourself from them. If your friends are Christians, they also should learn to see you as God sees you.

    So, repent (often) of your sins. Give ALL your past to God (He will wipe it out). Begin to see yourself as a ‘new creation in Christ’. You are a Child of the One True King!

Your ‘past’ doesn’t define who you are, God’s presence does.

“I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery. “You shall have no other gods before me.”  Exodus 20:2-3When the people saw that Moses delayed to come down from the mountain, the people gathered around Aaron, and said to him, “Come, make gods for us, who shall go before us; as for this Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what has become of him.” Exodus 32:1

 He [Aaron] took the gold from them, formed it in a mold, and cast an image of a calf; Exodus 32:4

   While Moses was on Mount Sinai, the Israelites became very impatient and failed to trust God. Forty days would seem like a long time, as they were anticipating Moses’ return.  

    Although it is difficult to have patience, we wouldn’t need to grow our trust in God if He gave us everything before we needed it.

    In Exodus 32:1 [Moses, the man who brought us up out of the land of Egypt], it sounds like they have already forgotten that GOD is the one who brought them out of Egypt. The more discouraged they became in the wilderness, the more they gave credit or blame to Moses, and the less they thought about God.

    We all have a desire to worship. Even though the Israelites knew and agreed to the law to ‘have no other gods’, they were impatient and convinced that Moses probably wasn’t coming back. Therefore, they built a golden calf to worship. Can you imagine how God and Moses felt? Moses is away, getting instruction from God on how to make a better life for all their people. Then he gets word that they have totally blown it! God and Moses were both angry and disappointed.

    I imagine God is also very disappointed in me when I ‘totally blow it’, when I’m basking in the delicious taste of my own ‘golden calf’ (food that I love, that tastes so good, that is so comforting—but only for a moment.)

    In today’s, materialistic society, full of the latest and greatest items like computers, cell phones that do everything, vehicles that have every option imaginable, smart TV’s, and video games, it is very difficult to not have ‘Golden Calves’ in our own lives. Material things may be the most obvious ‘Golden Calf’ but it can also be non-material things like a job, a hobby, sports, or family. I also believe our ‘Golden Calf’ can be a personality trait like negativity, lust, or greed. In other words, a ‘Golden Calf’ could be anything in your life that is lifted above God or comes between you and God.

In what ways or areas of your life do you need to have more patience and trust in God?

     God delivered the Israelites out of Egypt after 400 years of slavery. You would think they would all be forever thankful and never forget that blessing, yet it seems God had to remind them many times of what He did. They lost faith in God while in the wilderness to the point of wanting to go back to Egypt, back to slavery, where they still may die but at least would not starve or die of thirst.

     Exodus 16:2-3  The whole congregation of the Israelites complained against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness.  The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the hand of the Lord in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the fleshpots and ate our fill of bread; for you have brought us out into this wilderness to kill this whole assembly with hunger.” And again, in Exodus 17:3 they seem to have forgotten what God had done and wished they had stayed in Egypt. But the people thirsted there for water; and the people complained against Moses and said, “Why did you bring us out of Egypt, to kill us and our children and livestock with thirst?”

     How many times have we been amazed and truly thankful for what God has done for us, then not long after, it’s as though we’ve forgotten about it. Our focus is on our next crisis, need, or want and we begin to whine and beg God again for His help OR we are tempted to ‘go back to our Egypt’, not having faith even for the little things.

     Moving forward in our Christian walk and growing in faith comes with trials and temptations. Many times, when ‘life gets tough’ and we battle temptations, we fail to look towards God. When our focus isn’t on Him, we are not obeying and having faith in Him. At times, like the Israelites, we can begin to think that our past wasn’t as bad as the battle we are in now.

     For example, I battle eating disorders. I love food (my Golden Calf – we’ll get to that next week), I love food that is not good for my health such as sugar and carbs (my drugs of choice), and I binge eat (totally out of control). 1 Corinthians 6:19 says: Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? Every time I read about the Tabernacle and the Temple in the Bible, I cringe because I think of MY body being the Temple of the Holy Spirit. YIKES! If it were an actual ‘building’, it would be as messy as my closet! (well, that’s a topic for another journal)

     With today’s economy it takes planning and effort to eat a balanced healthy diet. There are times when I feel like ‘Going back to my Egypt’, back to my old habits and eat whatever is handy. In fact, I did that not long ago. The result? Sure, the taste and comfort were wonderful for the moment, BUT I not only lost my focus on my health and diet, but I also turned my focus from God, not to mention how sick I felt for several days after, (a sugar hang-over).

God instructs us to not look back, however we do need to remember how far He has brought us ‘out of the wilderness’.

I am the LORD your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go. Isaiah 48:17

I trust in the Lord with all my heart and lean not on my own understanding. In all my ways I acknowledge Him and He directs my paths. Proverbs 3:5-6

God will show me the path of life. Psalm 16:11

     In our ‘Christian Walk’ it’s important we ‘Stay on Track’.

     How do you stay on track if you don’t know what road you should be on or where it should lead?

     If you’re going on a vacation, you need to know the best route to take in order to get to that destination. But FIRST you need to ‘know your destination’, or at least a general idea.

     There will most likely be many destinations in your lifetime, your final one being Heaven. So where is God leading you now? You can get an idea by determining what your gifts are and how God can potentially use you to grow His Kingdom. For example, if you have the gift of teaching, He will most likely lead you towards a ministry of teaching such as Bible Study or Sunday School Class.

     Then you need to determine what is in your way of reaching that destination, what are your ‘road blocks’? Are there addictions or habits that you need to give up before you can move towards that destination? Other road blocks may be fear, negativity, doubt, and worry.

     When we decide what we want to be when we grow up, we don’t just go do it. We need training, schooling, or some type of life transformation before we are able to do that career or job. And if we keep getting ‘side tracked’ we’ll never become what we want to be. That’s how it is with your hurts, habits, and hang-ups. If you keep focused on THEM instead of your destination, you won’t stay on track and won’t make it far. In fact, you will probably be headed right back to your old ‘stompin grounds’.

     You also need do determine what to take with you on your journey. I’ve had things in my life that I’ve questioned whether God approves. Tip: If you question, He probably doesn’t approve! Some things may be ok for some of us but not others. For example, I like a glass of wine of an evening. While that can be ok for some, it can lead to being ‘sidetracked’ for others. Some people find it healthy, others don’t. Last year I gave it up for Lent. I felt better and there is no chance of drinking too much if I don’t drink ANY. I realized that was something I didn’t need to take with me on my journey. It was something that got me sidetracked.

     God wants you to give up everything that comes between you and Him. Keep your eyes on the road, stay focused on Him and you won’t be taking ‘side trips’ or worse, ‘driving in the ditches’ that waste time, cause a lot of bumps, and get you lost.

 “Be still and know I am God.” Psalm 46:10

If you read the whole chapter of Psalm 46, it implies that there is war and battle going on. Although the Psalmist may be talking about an actual physical war and battle, we also experience our challenges and crises as battles. A type of war within ourselves.

I feel like I’m in a battle when I become busy with serving, working, worrying, and trying to ‘figure things out’. I feel stressed, lack direction and focus. I fail to take time to be still and rest in Him.

The word still in Hebrew means “to slacken, let down, or cease.” When we cease the battle within us, we come to rest. How do we do that? We turn our focus on Him and seek His presence, His shelter.

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

How often do we seek God’s presence?

We tend to recognize that we NEED His presence more when we have a big challenge or crisis in our life. That’s usually when we turn our focus on Him, needing His help and guidance. But He wants us to seek Him and recognize His presence at all times, not just when we are in ‘crisis mode’.

As long as we are busy ‘doing life’, we focus on everything but God. It’s only when we stop our minds, turn our focus on Him, and rest in Him that we can know His presence and receive from Him, and truly begin to live.

What are a few things we can receive from God when we rest in Him? Clarity, peace, direction, calmness, trust, encouragement, patience and more. Resting in God can also bring rejuvenation. It’s easy to get Spiritually and emotionally drained when we are continually busy.

Resting in God doesn’t mean we have a free ticket for ‘laziness’. As children of God, we have work to do in His Kingdom here on Earth.

What battles are you fighting that you need to cease?

When was the last time that you remember truly seeking God’s presence?

 “My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me.” John 10:27

     John 10:27, God speaking, He says He knows His sheep. But also, His sheep know Him and they follow Him.

    When you receive a phone call from a close friend or relative, how do you know it’s them? You know because you KNOW them and you know their voice. Even if someone is impersonating them, you would probably be able to tell it isn’t them.

    Same with God. The more we get to KNOW Him, the better we’ll be able to hear Him and know it’s Him speaking.

    I led a Bible Study quite some time ago with a “new” Christian attending. She said “I keep hearing you all say ‘I heard God say…’ or ‘God spoke to me…’. I don’t understand how you hear God.” After several months of reading the Bible, attending Church and learning to pray, she understood that to hear from God requires a relationship with Him.

    Are you ‘tuned in’? Even though I consider myself a fairly good listener, I do struggle with listening to God. I hear better when it’s an audible voice and even then I can “tune it out” (selective hearing?). God can speak audibly, either Himself or through others, but we have to be ‘tuned in’ to know it’s Him.

    Do you take the time to listen? I can pray, I can read Christian books and the Bible, I can listen to inspirational speakers, but I often don’t take the time to just sit and listen. And throughout my day, I get busy thinking about what I need to do and focusing on what I am doing that I don’t listen.

    Do you want to hear what God has to tell you? Maybe there’s something He wants you to change or you are asking Him for an answer or for guidance. We reason, we analyze, we overthink or just plain rebel and want things our way instead of listening to what God wants. Selective Hearing?

    There are many ways that God speaks to us (through prayer, reading the Bible, or through other believers) but we have to turn off our selective hearing and be tuned in to what He is saying to us.

¹⁴ For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 
¹⁵ But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins. Matthew 6:14-15 

    Most, if not all, of us have been hurt deeply by someone in our lives. And the closer they are to us, like family or best friends, the deeper the hurt. Our natural reactions are revenge, anger and bitterness. Many of us also withdraw. When I was hurt by a family member, I withdrew from that part of the family (all of them, not just the one that hurt me). When I was hurt by best friends, I withdrew from having a “best” friend. I’m getting better, but I still struggle with having very close friends.

    Often, we choose not to forgive because we want to “punish” the ones that hurt us. When in fact most of the time, they don’t even know the damage they have done, or they don’t care…in other words, YOU are the one hurting, not them. Romans 12:19 says we are not to have revenge but are to let God settle the score with those who have wronged us.

    Forgiveness is not easy and doesn’t happen instantly. It is something we decide to do, then begin the process of forgiving. This process may take longer for some than it does for others and it also may depend on the severity of hurt.

    Forgiving doesn’t mean we condone or accept what they did. It does mean that we are choosing to no longer let that hurt be a burden to us.

    Forgiving might be easier if they came to us and asked for our forgiveness. This at least lets us know they acknowledge that they hurt us (and may be truly sorry). But, remember when Jesus forgave those who crucified Him? They hadn’t asked Him for forgiveness.

How to forgive:

-Begin forgiving by realizing that none of us are perfect and we all make mistakes. In forgiving my abuser, I began looking at his past. Many past hurts and poor choices of himself and others had led him to bitterness, anger, rebellion, and jealousy. While that isn’t an excuse for the abuse, it is a reason. “Hurt People, Hurt People” In other words, those who have been hurt, as a result, hurt others.

-Then think about is how much you have been forgiven. At one time, I was so focused on my hurts that I didn’t see the fact that I have also hurt others in the past. I pray they have forgiven me (as I trust God has also) for what I’ve done intentionally AND unintentionally.

-Pray for those who have hurt you. I know this is a though one. It’s hard to have compassion to pray for our enemies but in doing this, two things happen. The Holy Spirit begins to work in you in order for you to forgive AND the Holy Spirit will begin to work in THEM also. I’ve witnessed this several times.

-Repent from hanging on to bad feelings against those who hurt you, so you can be set free. When we harbor bitterness, hatred and anger, we are also sinning. Therefore, we need to pray for forgiveness for our thoughts and attitudes.

Who do you need to forgive?