DON'T LET GO!

DON'T LET GO

When my son was younger, one Sunday, I asked him what he had learned in the teen ministry. He said they taught on faith and worship. I noticed he had a bandage on his hand and wondered how he got it. He told me they had also had a fun round of tug-of-war and they won the first, but lost the second. My son is 5'11" and about 200lbs. He's bigger than the average 16yr old. I figured if he was on the winning team the first round, what happened the second time? He said, "We were winning when the rope burned my hand and I let go." Oh, I knew there had to be a logical reason why they lost, especially with his strength pulling for them. Then God helped me make a connection between the scripture lesson and the physical lesson and I pointed it out to him.

My son had everything going for him to win. So do you. What do you need to win life's tug-of-wars? 

Faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see. (Hebrews 11:1 )
Faith is not wishful thinking or will power or mind over matter. Faith is only as good as who or what you place it in. Many place their faith in people who let them down or turn out to be someone other than they thought. Some put their faith in the government until they realize that it doesn't always deliver on its promises. Many put faith in jobs and money and we have seen who quickly one can lose one or both. There is only one object of faith you can count on to never fail; God. He has been tried and tested and always comes through! Have faith in God and grab hold of that rope!

"Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." (Isaiah 41:10)

Notice where the strength is coming from; God. God gives you the strength and power to endure and break through any and all situations. Don't rely on yourself, pray to God to make you strong and He will answer. When we depend on ourselves, all our weaknesses are brought to light. These are the times when God's power shines the brightest. You don't have to be a heavyweight to win life's tug-of-war, let God make you strong!

The LORD gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. (Isaiah 40:29)

Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up. (Galatians 6:9)

I have heard the cries and have seen the pain and felt the despair. Life is not going to be easy on you; it can be unfair and brutal. God has given you faith and strength, now you must fight and never surrender! Persevere. Never give up. There was a song by Christina Aguilera, "Fighter". The "hook" line is: "thanks for making me a fighter." God wants to make you a fighter, not a scared infant with any help available. When you learn to fight, you will win and you will thank God! Keep pulling that rope, don't give up!

Be self controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. (1 Peter 5:8-9)

Now that you have stepped up into the arena and grabbed hold of the other end of life's rope and are prepared to persevere, now what? You are competing against some very formidable opponents:

SIN: Therefore, just as through one man sin entered the world, and death through sin, and thus death spread to all men, because all sinned"Romans 5:12 Sin will continue to fight us and make us do wrong against God until we are perfected in heaven. Do not give him too much ground, unless he destroys you! Watch yourself and ask for forgiveness when you slip.

FLESH: For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit.--Romans 8:5 The flesh is strong also. He will try consistently to pull you away from God's plans to chase your own desires. This is a trap to lead you to destruction and unhappiness!

THE DEVIL: Be angry, and do not sin: do not let the sun go down on your wrath, nor give place to the devil. (Ephesians 4:26) The devil as mentioned earlier, seeks whom he can devour. Don't let it be you! He is crafty and has millenniums of experience. He can come to you hostile or deceitfully loving. To defeat him is to know the word of God so you will not gain ground in your life.

These three are on the other end of that rope in your tug-of-war. In every circumstance you will ever face in this life, behind it will be on of them or all three! Do not fear because God has you covered if you know how to fight back. When you stand up and fight, you will win. My son let go because of the pain. Hold on no matter what!

For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind. 2 Timothy 1:7

My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. (James 1:2-3)

VICTORY
Thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. (1 Corinthians 15:57)

You must understand that victory and victorious living does not rest in your hands! Victory comes from above, from God! I wish so much that I can walk each of you through life, holding your hand and showing you the pitfalls and the traps along the way. God can do a far better job than I! He has given you Jesus, His Word and His Holy Spirit. Many Christians live defeated lives because the fail to let God work in them and through them. In God is everything you need. Great weapons are only useful when used correctly.

I know many want change. I know you are sick and tired of being sick and tired. It's up to you to decide how serious are you going to be! How bad do you want to win? Your enemy the devil doesn't care if you want to fight or not. He will attempt to crush you without mercy. If you MUST fight, fight to win! Learn to fight to win! 

No human wisdom or understanding or plan can stand against the LORD. The horse is prepared for the day of battle, but the victory belongs to the LORD. (Proverbs 21:30-31)

God Bless,

http://waitonboaz.com

MIRROR, MIRROR

Mirror, Mirror

Mirror, Mirror on the wall
Will i take that fall
Should i try or would it b better 2 say good-bye
Mirror, Mirror on the wall
I don't think i like who i c at all
I c a tear streaked face, and someone who wants so many
things 2 take place
Mirror, Mirror what is fair
Y do i even care
I should just walk away and save the pain 4 another day
Mirror, Mirror set me free
Let me become the person i long 2 b
Mirror, Mirror on the wall
I want 2 become strong and stand tall
Help me if u can, try and lend me a hand
Mirror, Mirror on the wall 

Wendy A. Bartko

It is said that "The eyes are the mirror of the soul". The reasoning behind this proverb is that often times, your face will betray what is in your heart. For instance, when you are sad or upset, your face will likely express the pain or anger within you. So, when you tell everyone that all is fine; you will most likely not be believed.

If the eyes are a mirror to the soul, it only makes sense that if the soul is truly okay, the eyes will have a beautiful 'mirror'. In 3 John 1:2, Paul writes, "Beloved, I desire that in all things you should prosper and be in good health, even as your soul prospers."

Sounds simple enough; help my soul prosper and everything else will prosper and the mirror to my soul will reflect this. So how do we help our soul to prosper? Let me introduce to you yet another mirror; 'you'!

In a traditional mirror, the reflection that is cast, is what is presented to the mirror itself. When you allow yourself to be the mirror, you will become both mirror and presenter. It sounds a little confusing, but it's really not that hard to follow.

A mirror shows what it sees, whether good or bad. On the one hand we do the same. When bad things are shown, or done, to us, we reflect this pain or anger, like a mirror. When good happen, we smile and are happy.

What i am proposing when I say to be 'both' mirror and presenter, is that 'you' should be the one who presents what you want to your own mirror for it to be reflected. So why frown, only to get a frown back? Why not smile and receive smiles?

Your whole life could be re-created in this fashion. One could say that your 'soul' could prosper in this way. 

God has had the secret of this since time began. "As long as the earth endures, seedtime and harvest, cold and heat, summer and winter, day and night, shall not cease." Genesis 8:22.

God has put in effect a pattern that exist not only in His creation of nature, but in everything else. This is Isaac Newton's 3rd Law of Motion: "For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction." Translation: When you do something, something will happen!"

It is only common sense then, that if we want our soul to prosper, we must do prosperous things. We must present good things in front of our mirror, so it will reflect back good to us. In scripture, this is called: "The Law Of Reciprocity"; giving and receiving, sowing and reaping.

Don't let circumstances around you or other people dictate what will reflect in your mirror! Step up and take back control! Bad things happen to everyone. Everyone faces persecution and have deal with difficult people. Life is hard and no one is exempt from pain, hut and disappointment, ...BUT....how you respond to all this is on you! What you choose to continue to put out to the world is up to you! You and you alone!

Jesus knew this. He said, "love your enemies, pray for those who spitefully use you. bless those who curse you, give to those who take from you." Why? Because He knew it is better for "YOU" to maintain a prosperous soul than to react to those who have 'less than' prosperous souls. He knew that to give in, is to become like them. Why become that which you dislike?

It may be hard and may take ALOT of practice, but try it! Live it! Send out good to people, situations and especially yourself! Build up an image in your mirror that is worth reflecting. An image that all can see and admire! then, your soul will truly be prosperous, along with everything else in your life!

God Bless

http://waitonboaz.com 

SEE!

 "I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen; not only because I see it, but because by it, I see everything else." -- C.S. Lewis

SEEKING BOAZ

SEEKING BOAZ

In the Bible and in life, there are many things to be sought after. One seeks after God, His kingdom and righteousness. Another seeks after fame and fortune. Still another seeks love and friendship. Seeking seems to be a part of our human DNA. It was in the Garden of Eden that Eve was first tempted to seek and taste that which was forbidden and Adam followed suite.

Scripture plainly demonstrates that it is not the seeking or the seeker which is the problem, but what is being sought after. Good things like lost sheep, wisdom and a heart for God are worthy pursuits. But what about seeking after love?

There are some who have a problem with this for.."ye should 'only' seek after God with all your heart, all your mind and a'' your might". This 'sounds' pretty holy, but is it true? Or even Biblical? 

When I read my Bible, I see a great deal of seeking by a great deal of seekers. Putting aside the obvious bad things that were sought, let's look at a few things that God writes as favorable pursuits. 

Abel sought to please God with his offering. Noah sought dry land after the flood. Abraham and Sara sought a son, an heir to the promise. A wife was sought for Isaac. Jacob sought Rachel's hand in marriage and worked 14yrs to marry her. Moses and Jacob sought the Promised Land. The Israelites sought their Messiah. Jesus sought the cross. The disciples sought to preach the Gospel. God seeks to save men.

Hmmmm...seems there are a good many things that can be sought after and approved by God.

So how many of you have heard that it is not good to 'seek' out a mate, but .."Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him"?

I cannot count the number of times I have heard this verse quoted in regards to everything under the sun! What I have discovered is that is always quoted to prevent someone from taking action. Got a decision to make? "Wait on the Lord". Need to look for Job? "Wait on the Lord". Lost people need preaching? "Wait on the Lord". 

"Wait on the Lord" appears to be the mantra of lazy Christians, looking for excuses to be inactive and passive! These people sit around and make excuses for why they cannot function 'FOR' the Lord and attempt to justify their idleness by "Waiting On The Lord". The are afraid to act and hate it when they see others attempting to move forward.

So when it comes to "Waiting On Your Boaz"; is this a passive wait or an active wait? I believe it should be the latter. I am PRO-Wait-On-The-Lord and PRO-Wait-On-Your-Boaz....BUT.....I don't believe it should be a passive, idle, do nothing waiting period. There is ACTION to be done 'While' you 'Wait'!

Consequently, Psalm 37:37; "Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him" is spoken of in regards to watching evil people prosper with their schemes. The whole chapter is about evil 'seeming' to prosper and God telling the righteous, "don't worry about all this, wait on me, they will get theirs and you will get yours". But by NO means, is it a call to inaction!

Other verses just simply say "Be still and (what?), know that I am God. Not simply 'do nothing'. Still another in Exodus 14:13, we see "Be still" again and see the salvation of the Lord. Funny however is verse 15 where God sees Moses at the foot of the Red Sea and says "Why do you cry out Me? Tell the children of Israel to go forward". TRANSLATION: STOP STANDING AROUND AND MOVE!!

God wants us to seek Him and wait on Him, yes, but God wants us to go forward and live the abundant life that He promised us. There are certain time when you should indeed "be still and wait on the Lord", but this was never meant to be a lifestyle of a Believer.

If you desire a mate, 1. Seek God First. 2. Pray Earnestly and Specifically For A Mate. 3. Live Your Everyday Life! 4. Be Sober, Vigilant and Watchful for God's Answer.

I am NOT advocating that you act hastily and irrationally. I am saying however, that if you wish to find, you must seek! Maybe get more involved in Church. Go out more, get to know people. Don't isolate yourslef and wait for someone to find you. Seek; not in a desperate way, but keep your eyes and ears and heart open to the possibility that one you meet, may be from God. Then GO SLOW...again...Be Sober, Vigilant and Watchful.

Stop listening to those who tell you that you are wrong for seeking what you desire. Listen to the Holy Spirit:

1 Timothy 4:1-10

The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith and follow deceiving spirits and things taught by demons. Such teachings come through hypocritical liars, whose consciences have been seared as with a hot iron. They forbid people to marry and order them to abstain from certain foods, which God created to be received with thanksgiving by those who believe and who know the truth. For everything God created is good, and nothing is to be rejected if it is received with thanksgiving, because it is consecrated by the word of God and prayer.

If you point these things out to the brothers and sisters, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus, nourished on the truths of the faith and of the good teaching that you have followed. Have nothing to do with godless myths and old wives’ tales; rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come. This is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance. That is why we labor and strive, because we have put our hope in the living God, who is the Savior of all people, and especially of those who believe.

Don't let others impose guilt trips and condemnation on your wanting to seek a mate. 

“Do not handle! Do not taste! Do not touch!”? These rules, which have to do with things that are all destined to perish with use, are based on merely human commands and teachings. Such regulations indeed have an appearance of wisdom, with their self-imposed worship, their false humility and their harsh treatment of the body, but they lack any value in restraining sensual indulgence. (Colossians 2:21)


There is a Boaz waiting for you as you are waiting for hi. Commit your desire to the Lord and let Him take over from there. Live your life and keep watchful of who God may bring in your life, but do not shut yourself off from God's blessing. Let those who wish to remain idle, be idle. Just as Jesus said it is useless to put your lamp under a basket, let your light shine so that your Boaz may see you.

Seek And You Shall Find.

God Bless
http://waitonboaz.com

Almost A Boaz

Almost A Boaz

I recently was asked a very good question: "What do you do with an 'Almost A Boaz'? An 'AAB' is the guy who has everything a woman is looking for in a Boaz...BUT...something is not quite there. It could be a flaw in his character, a difficult dynamic of a potential relationship or simply that you are not emotionally invested.

Whatever the reason, 'that reason' is keeping your 'Az' from being a 'Boaz'. What do you do? 

Now, we all know that no one is perfect, so let's not ask this of every potential Boaz. But not expecting perfection should not lead to compromise in areas that will hurt 'YOU'. This is the biggest mistake I see women constantly make again and again. They excuse every red flag, warning and damming evidence on the guise of "no one is perfect".

A good friend of mine had a saying he always repeated; "Excuses are lies we tell ourselves to get by".

How true this is and has been proven, even in my own life, time and again! Human nature dictates that we would rather a good lie than an ugly truth. When it comes to our Boaz, we will do every mental mind trick to convince ourselves that he is a good thing 'despite' what he is showing us.

I have saying; "If a guy shows you what he is really about...BELIEVE HIM!" He may be honest with you or himself, but the truth of who he is, is coming through loud and clear. We tend to overlook the bad and focus on the good, hoping the bad will magically go away. Why not focus on and deal with the bad? It is the bad that will hurt you and will tarnish everything good.

Pinocchio, the fairy-tale puppet who wanted to be a real boy had these same issues. Pinocchio knew what we should know; Being an 'almost' boy, is not a real boy. 

Although Pinocchio could speak and 'act' like a real boy, his wish would not be granted until he proved himself to be worthy of this status. This proved harder than it seemed as we read how Pinocchio struggled between good and bad choices. Whenever he lied, his nose grew. Soon it was almost too big to hold up! Instead of attending school and doing right, he skipped and was turned into a Jack-Az!

Pinocchio's issues are not unlike your potential Boaz. Though he may have many 'good' qualities, his bad decisions and behavior keeps him from being a 'real' Boaz! Almost just simply won't cut it!

Picture the perfect wedding dress. Elegant, beautiful, flowing with white; gorgeous! Now picture a stain on the front. Is 'almost' prefect good enough? How about eating off an 'almost' clean' dish? Almost takes on a whole different meaning when you put it in  a different context.

Again, I know perfection in people are not a reality, but is heart worth more than a dress? or a dish? 

Jesus said, "The truth will set you free". 

If the truth sets us free, why would you choose to ignore it or make excuses for it? By doing so, you are making yourself a prisoner; the opposite of free. If you ignore the truth of what God, your heart and your mind is telling you, you paint yourself into a corner. You create a self styled prison and hand your 'AAB' the key. You tell him that although you are wrong and 'this' is wrong, i'm going along with it anyway; giving 'you' power over 'me'.

If this is the path to happiness, i'd advise you to be miserable on your own. 

Jesus also said, "A little leaven, leavens the whole loaf". Leaven is a yeast. You cannot sprinkle a little yeast into dough without it penetrating the whole loaf. Likewise, you cannot overlook major issues with your potential Boaz and not expect it to spill over the whole relationship. 'Sorta joyful' is not joyful at all. 'Sorta loved' is not love. The phrase, "selling yourself short", means giving yourself away (selling) very cheaply, for less than its value (short). You are worth far too much to cheapen yourself with 'almost'.

So what do you do? You be patient and grow. Again, you can do bad by yourself, which is better than doing bad and dealing with someone else's bad behavior also. Don't be desperate for love or a relationship. Take the time to build up yourself so when the 'real' Boaz comes along, you will be ready and it will be 'perfect'!

Remember Ruth. Boaz was not her first choice. She was married to another, who passed away. Maybe he was also a Boaz 'type'. Maybe she settled for less, like so many women are willing to do. Whatever the case, when she waited and trusted God, a 'real' Boaz came to her and he didn't need her to perform mental mind tricks in order to fall in love with him. He was all she hoped for and all he appeared to be.

Pinocchio also realized that not only does the truth make your nose shrink back to normal, it also sets you free! When he embraced the truth and lived by the truth, he indeed became a 'real' boy. When you embrace the truth and walk in it and live by it, you will not accept the 'almost' Boaz and wait and look for the 'real' thing!

I wish you the BEST! You DESERVE it!

God Bless
http://waitonboaz.com

God's Love

God loves you and is looking for those who love Him.

In Genesis 22:10-12 Abraham proves this when he is about to slay his only son for the love of God. God stops him and declares:

"Do not lay your hand on the lad, or do anything to him; for I know that you fear God since you have not withheld you son, your only son, from Me,"

FAST FORWARD: John 3:16

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him will not perish but have everlasting life."

- Now you know God loves you, since He has not withheld His Son, His Only Son, from you.

BIG BUT

I like BIG BUTS and I cannot lie........

Those familiar with hip hop may recognize that line from a less than 'sanctified' rap song. LOL But before you get all judgmental on me; technically, that is not the correct phrase or meaning. I am not here to discuss humongous derrieres or to be crass or sexual, but to discuss BIG BUTS....minus the extra T.

The word 'BUT' always indicates an exception. "I would go, but"..."I love you, but"...."I have money, but". So when you hear BUT, you automatically know that the conversation is about to go in a new direction. BUTS, like the derriere, has two parts, or applied meanings. Either can have a BIG BUT for bad or BIG BUT for good. As Christians, we need to decide what type of BIG BUT we will show the world.

When God came to Moses in Genesis chapter 4, He came with the best new ever to Moses. "Hey Mo! I know you don't know me, but i'm God! Guess what? I',m sending you to back to Egypt, where you're wanted for murder to free about a million Hebrews! It's gonna be great! You go and tell Pharaoh to let my people go. Of course he won't listen to you, but i'll help you change his mind. We leave immediately! Are you ready to go?!"

Moses didn't share God's enthusiasm.  

Moses said to God: "BUT who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and the bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?"...."BUT suppose 'they' will not believe me or listen to me?"...."BUT I am slow of speech."...."But...O my Lord, please send someone else."...Anyone...BUT me!

I guess we can't be so hard on Moses. How many of us would have ran into the house grabbed our coat and staff and started running towards Egypt? Many of us live in fear of God sending us to some remote scary country to be missionaries. Most of us find is difficult to do the simple things God ask us to do. So Moses, I guess we would agree, had some legitimate fears; especially since all this was brand new to him.

Pharaoh had even a tougher time than Moses. He was hit with a rapid succession of devastating plagues to him, his people, his country and everything in it. BUT....his heart was hardened and he learned the hard way!

Throughout the Bible, that BIG BUT is scattered throughout the pages of scripture. Remember when King Saul 'followed' the Lord's instruction to the 'letter', BUT spared some of the goods and plunder for his men? How about when King David, who was a man after God's on heart, BUT had a man killed because he slept with the man's wife and got her pregnant? And who can forget Jonah who instructed to go on a mission trip to Nineveh, BUT fled to in the other direction Tarshish from the Presense of the Lord; that tuned out to be fishy!

So when God instructs us and all we can say is, 'BUT', we are in good company of folks you are just as screwed up as us. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not saying because they did it, we should also. They all learned the hard way that you don't bring that kind of BIG BUT to God. God has a variety of ways to get you to change your mind! So you can cooporate willingly or go kicking and screaming! 

If you are intent on having a BIG BUT, make sure it is used for God's glory! BUT....."I thought you just said it was a negative thing?!" Hold on, hold on..lol Remember that a BIG BUT has two parts? Or two viewpoints. One is negative and one is positive.

Take Joseph for example. His brothers sold him into slavery because God had big dreams for him. As a slave, he was falsely accused of attempted rape, thrown into prison and seemingly forgotten. By God's providence, he was freed by Pharaoh and made second in command over all Egypt. When Joseph finally caught up with his brothers, he said, "You meant it for evil against me, BUT God meant it for good."

Likewise, Rahab, the prostitute in Jericho was sceduled to be termintaed along with the rest of the city by the Israelites, BUT she saved the spies by hiding them and she and her whole family were spared. Mary and Martha were grieved because their brother Lazarus was dead for four days, BUT believed Jesus could bring him back; and He did!

Jesus also raised up the young ruler's daughter when he said, BUT come and lay hands on her and she will live. Who can forget when the adulterous woman was brought before Jesus to be condemned? Everyone waited to Jesus to carry out judgment and execution, BUT Jesus stooped down and wrote on the ground with His finger, as though He did not hear. One by one, the woman's accusers left, convicted themselves, one by one, till none was left. Jesus told the woman, He would not convict her either and to go her way and sin no more!

Hallelujah!!

See? A BIG BUT...'CAN'....be useful! When it comes to God; things that we cannot imagine we can handle, gets handled! God is our 'new direction', our 'change in conversation'. You may have received a death sentence from the doctor, BUT Jesus is still our Healer! You may be broken, BUT God is a Master Potter, Carpenter and Builder! You may feel all alone, BUT Jesus will Never Leave You Nor Forsake You!

Our BIG BUT is GOD!

The Apostle Paul learned this lesson as well. In 2 Corinthians 4:8-18, He writes; "We are perplexed, BUT not in despair. Persecuted, BUT not forsaken. Struck down, BUT not destroyed. Death is working in us, BUT life is in us. We have light affliction, BUT only for a moment. We look not to what is seen, BUT to what is unseen. Not for things that are temporary, BUT to things that are eternal!

So what is it going to be Fam? Which BIG BUT are you gonna "like and cannot lie?" Are you going to make excuses why you can't do things God's way or make God your excuse why you will not accept the bad things in life? 

We are not the only ones with BIG BUTs. We were sinners, BUT Christ died for us! We are weak, BUT God is strong. Isn't it time we really, truly start to trust God?! Stop telling Him and everyone else, "I would, BUT"..."I know I should, BUT"..."The Bible says that, BUT"...Trust God. Trust in His direction. Trust in His wisdom. I leave you with one more BIG BUT from Jesus:

"Jesus said "With men this is impossible, BUT with God all things are possible." - Matthew 19:26

God Bless

http://waitonboaz.com

GOD'S PRESENCE

God's Presence

My years as a growing Christian has taught me many things, but the most important lesson I have learned, is that I still have a lot to learn! It is said that the Bible is a 'living' manuscript and I wholeheartedly agree! It is alive and infused with God Himself. It's no wonder why you can read it for a lifetime and never gain all it's wisdom and understanding.

I used to hear of 'God's Presence" often whenever I went to church or someone would pray for it. Naturally, I too. longed to have and feel His presence. I know I was not alone in this great quest. Many long for the presence of God, but it can seem so elusive.

Maybe that's the problem...

In Exodus 33:11, scripture says "the Lord spoke to Moses face to face as a man speaks his friend." What a wonderful verse! How I envy Moses! 'I know, i know, that's wrong :( ' But can you imagine have God come to you, pull up a chair, grab a cup of coffee and just chat with you?! I think I would never want to end that conversation!

So, later on in this same chapter, Moses is nervous about the journey ahead and God appointed him as the leader of this swarm of people. Moses in a sense, tell God, "You appointed me to this, set me over all these people and we don't even know where we are going! Come'on  God, you gotta give me a little more to go on; help me understand You and Your plan a little better."

Amazingly, God doesn't get upset and chew Moses out, but simply says in verse 14; "My Presence will go with you, and I will give you rest." Moses replies, "Cool, but if Your Presence 'doesn't' go, please cancel this whole mission!" :)

Of course God doesn't let Moses down and even does him one better; God reveals His 'partial' Glory to Moses! God's Glory is GOD! This was a 'HUGE' request!! And BOLD!! It is intimate! It is more intimate than a man asking to see his wife fully nude for the first time!

I'm not trying to be inappropriate, but that is the closest context I can use to help you understand what Moses was asking of Almighty God! This was bigger than asking for a burning bush; bigger than requesting 10 miraculous plagues; bigger than praying for a parting of a sea and witnessing a colossal pillar of fire and smoke. Moses' request could have only been asked when that level of intimacy had been established.

God's Presence, His Glory...it's God! 

And, I believe therein lies the problem. Many of us are seeking God's glory, thinking of it as an 'IT', when we should be seeking a 'Person'! An intimate relationship. Seeking the Seeker Himself!

When you have a close relationship like a spouse, sibling, child, friend, etc, your main goal is not to get something from them. The goal if intimate relationship is being with or having that person themselves! It should be different with God. Christianity is not religion; which is man trying to 'do' A+B=C type formulas and good works in order to come close to God and gain His favor. Christianity is about RELATIONSHIP! It is about coming to God, through Christ and KNOWING HIM!

So if you have a spouse or child or friend; do you become more intimate with them by merely reading their emails? Listening to their voice over the phone? Thinking about them every so often? * Notice I said "merely". 

An intimate relationship requires those things, but so much more! When you wake, do you speak to God? Do you talk to Him about the 'little' things and not just the big issues at scheduled prayer times? Do you invite along to work? school? the movies? when you are just sitting around? If not, why not? Why 'act' as if He is not there when He ALWAYS is?

See? You have to cultivate a relationship with God, by acknowledging God is ALL that you do! Make yourself conscious of His Presence. Talk to Him, not just daily, but hourly! Listen and watch to see when He responds. Become part of His world as you make Him a part of your world.

I know to some it may seem a bit silly; like having an imaginary friend, but in reality, just because you cannot physically 'see' God, does not make any less real! He is there whether you acknowledge Him or not. But if you constantly 'do' acknowledge Him, I believe you will begin to gain that intimacy with God like Moses had with Him.

"Where can I go from Your Spirit? Or where can I flee from Your Presence? (Psalm 139:7)

God is with you; cultivate your relationship.

God Bless

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