He holds my future

I know who holds the future. There are so many uncertainties in life. We don't know what will happen tomorrow,  next week, next year, or even the next minute. We can make plans and try to control what will be, but we really have no way of knowing. There are so many things changing in this world and seem out of control. Even with uncertainty, we do have hope. We have hope when we place our faith in God.

Jeremiah 29:11 says For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

God has plans for us and we can trust what he is doing. The next couple of verses say: Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you.  And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.  And I will be found of you, saith the Lord : ...

Jeremiah 29:12‭-‬14 KJV

When we need his leading and peace, we can seek the Lord in prayer and He will be found. He will lead us and show us what he has for us. It may not be what we plan or think, but He is working ahead of us. We need to be sure we are hearing the voice of God so we are working in His will. We can trust that God will lead us where He knows we are best used by Him and where His goodness will be done. 

 Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away.  For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.

James 4:14‭-‬15 KJV

Tomorrow is not known, but we do know that God is already prepared for what will come.  He is preparing us as well. He works on our hearts and minds to change us and make us into what he knows we are meant to be.  His goodness and mercy is with us no matter what the future holds. We may feel worry or anxiety about the unknown, but when we call on Him, his peace can fill our hearts and we can rest in His will. We also know the final outcome is eternity in heaven with our Savior. We have the greatest gift when we have salvation in Jesus Christ. We will be with him forever.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

Psalms 23:6 KJV

My future is in His hands. I submit to His plans and purpose and know that all things will work for good. The hard things, the good things, the difficult and the easy are all in His hands.  I choose to trust my future to Him.

Because He lives, I can face tomorrow. Because He lives, all fear is gone. Because I know He holds the future, and life is worth the living just because He lives.

Our Good Father

I had the privilege of watching a young lady and her dad for a few minutes. She had a little puppy but needed to go take care of something that meant she couldn't take the puppy. She asked her dad if he would take care of the puppy while she was away. He took the leash and as she went off to attend to what had called her away, her dad looked after the puppy, played with it and petted it. The young lady knew her puppy was in good hands. She had entrusted her puppy to her dad and had full faith and trust in her dad. She didn't look around a corner, call lots of times, or even seem concerned when she returned. Her dad had kept her puppy safe. 

Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed.

John 8:36 NKJV

This reminded me of the faith and trust we need to have in our heavenly Father. We can come to God with every care amd concern.  We can place it in His care amd know He is going to care about it just as He promised.  He knows our needs and cares about what we care about.

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Matthew 6:8 NKJV

Too many times, we go to the Lord and make our requests known, but refuse to trust Him to take care of it. We pick it up and take it back to worry over, fret about, and try to solve ourselves. God wants us to trust Him and have faith that when we ask, He will answer. He will provide, bless, and protect.  He is a good Father.

 

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.   For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.   If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent?   Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion?   If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?

Luke 11:9‭-‬13 KJV

God's promises are Yes and Amen. (2 Corinthians 1:20) He wants nothing more but to pour out His best gifts on His children.  He wants to give salvation, joy, peace, comfort, protection, victory, power, etc.  There is so much our heavenly Father has in store. He has answers to our needs and prayers. He is good and faithful. He asks for our faith and trust.  We can place all our concerns at His feet. And He will take care of them. He already has the answers in store. He does not want us to worry, when He has peace for us.  Just as the young lady had complete faith and trust in her dad to care for her puppy, we can have can have complete faith and trust in our Father to care for us. 

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6‭-‬7 NKJV

We can stand on God's word and promises.  We can go to our heavenly Father in prayer and leave with peace knowing He is answering our every prayer, taking care of every need, and will always care for us. He is a good Father.

warning: do not return to sin

The other day, I helped my husband untangle some tie downs that were very tangled. They had been shoved into a drawer and had become a big tangled mess that was unusable. It took some time and work to untie knots, separate the long ropes and untangle the big mess. It was not easy to get all the knots out but was necessary to be able to use the tie downs for their intended purpose.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.

Galatians 5:1 KJV

We are set free when we truly repent and turn from sin. Our sins are washed away by the blood of Jesus and we are changed.  In Galatians, Paul warned of being entangled again with the yoke of bondage.  God can use us as He planned and intended when we are set free from sin.  The reason we do not want to return to sin is that we make Christ of no effect when we return to the life we lived before. We make His sacrifice null and void in our lives.  We are made free and set free not to return to sin but to develop relationship with God and to draw all men to Christ with the love He has given us. We can be a part of His Kingdom and be used to reach others.

For, brethren, ye have been called unto liberty; only use not liberty for an occasion to the flesh, but by love serve one another.

Galatians 5:13 KJV

Peter also gave vivid examples of escaping the sin of the world then returning back to sin. 

For if, after they have escaped the pollutions of the world by [personal] knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled in them and are overcome, their last condition has become worse for them than the first. For it would have been better for them not to have [personally] known the way of righteousness, than to have known it and then to have turned back from the holy commandment [verbally] handed on to them. The thing spoken of in the true proverb has happened to them, “The dog returns to his own vomit ,” and, “A sow is washed only to wallow [again] in the mire.”

2 Peter 2:20‭-‬22 AMP

Peter describes going to back to sin is like a dog eating its own vomit or a washed hog wallowing in the mud.  It is filthy and gross.  It takes the precious gift of salvation and trashes it. It is throwing away the most precious gift ever given. Peter even explains that things are even worse for those that do return to sin. Sin will entangle and trap. It will hold on and blind us to truth. Sin separates us from God and from those who love us. It destroys lives. Sin has the wages of death. Sin takes from us and does not have mercy on anyone. It takes people down a miserable road to hell. Sin keeps us from our intended purpose.

These men of God warned believers to be aware of this because they had seen it happen. They did not want to see more believers fall. We must be firm and steadfast in faith. We have hope and strength when we lean on the Lord.  

Therefore, [let me warn you] beloved, knowing these things beforehand, be on your guard so that you are not carried away by the error of unprincipled men [who distort doctrine] and fall from your own steadfastness [of mind, knowledge, truth, and faith], but grow [spiritually mature] in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To Him be glory (honor, majesty, splendor), both now and to the day of eternity. Amen.

2 Peter 3:17‭-‬18 AMP

We are forewarned to listen to truth, seek God first and to grow, or spiritually mature, in our faith, grace and knowledge of Jesus, our Savior. Maturity  brings steadfastness, strength, and discernment. We should dive deep into prayer, study of the Bible, and keep our focus on God. Our faith should be unwavering and growing.  We need to withstand every attack of the enemy that comes our way. That is why the armor of God is needed. That is why assembling together is needed.  That is why relationship is needed. That is why discipleship is needed. We need to be able to say that we have kept our faith and finished our course just as Paul did.

I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:

2 Timothy 4:7 KJV

God is not willing for any of us to perish or fail. He directed these words of warning to His people to help us endure. He does not want us entangled with sin and destroyed. He wants us to remain free when He sets us free. He wants to use us and direct us. He has plans for us. We need to be free from sin so we can hear Him and follow Him. We only need to heed this warning and be aware that sin may seek to tempt us back but we have God on our side. If we slip up or fall, we can run back to Jesus and find repentance and forgiveness  that will keep us and sustain  us. We have a loving Savior who is looking out and provided warnings knowing we need them. We only need to heed this warning and draw closer to him instead of allowing sin to wrap around us, invade our lives and trap us once again.  We have an intended purpose. God has a plan for each of us and sin wants to keep us from fulfilling our true purpose.  

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord , thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.

Jeremiah 29:11 KJV

God has plans for you. Choose to put away the sin and follow Him.

captive to sin

When Solomon dedicated the temple in Jerusalem,  he worshipped God and prayed.  This was part of his prayer,  a call to repentance:  

“When they sin against You (for there is no man who does not sin) and You are angry with them and hand them over to the enemy, so that they are carried away captive to the enemy’s land, [whether] far away or near; if they take it to heart in the land where they have been taken captive, and they repent and pray to You in the land of their captors, saying, ‘We have sinned and done wrong and we have acted wickedly;’ if they return to You with all their heart and with all their soul in the land of their enemies who have taken them captive, and they pray to You toward their land [of Israel] which You gave to their fathers, the city [of Jerusalem] which You have chosen, and the house which I have built for Your Name and Presence; then hear their prayer and their supplication in heaven Your dwelling place, and maintain their right and defend their cause, and forgive Your people who have sinned against You and all the transgressions which they have committed against You, and make them objects of compassion before their captors, that they will be merciful to them (for they are Your people and Your heritage, whom You brought out of Egypt, from the midst of the iron furnace [of slavery and oppression]), that Your eyes may be open to the supplication of Your servant and to the supplication of Your people Israel, to listen to them and be attentive to them whenever they call to You.

1 Kings 8:46‭-‬52 AMP

As I read this,  I see our world today.  Solomon spoke of those who would forget God and turn to sin. These souls are captives of sin. Captives that are trapped and do not have freedom. They have no hope where they are.

In today's world, many of us have fallen captive to sin, whether blatant sin or hidden sin.  Sin holds us captive. Sin entered this world and there are grave consequences. We see the effects of sin all around us. Sin takes us down roads we don't really want to go and keeps us longer than we want to stay.  Sin takes many forms in this life, but it boils down to disobedience to God. It may look like hate,  evil,  addiction, strife,  fighting, killing, or secret sin. We can identify sin as anything that goes against God.

The Bible describes sin this way.

For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

1 John 2:16 KJV

Sin is coming from three areas: lust of the flesh, lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.  It is not of God and goes against God's word and will.  It separates us from God. He intends us to love Him,  love others, to put aside the sins  and choose to do His will.  

When we obey God, and demonstrate love one for another, many things change.  A big change is God changes our hearts. Our lives should change. We should begin to reflect the heart of God. We treat others better, we care about one another, we have compassion for one another,  we choose life and we choose good.  We choose to forgive and we choose to love.

A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.   By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.

John 13:34‭-‬35 KJV

We need to think long and hard over what is happening in our world,  our countries, our communities,  and even in our homes.  We need to ask ourselves if God is finding His will being done or is sin holding us captive. Only He can set us free through repentance.  

If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

2 Chronicles 7:14 KJV

Healing and true freedom will only come from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ. His blood can wash away all sin and set us free. We need repentance to break free of the torment of sin.  We need God in our homes,  in our communities, and world. 

May we realize that this is what it will take to change this world.  We will be held captive without the salvation that comes from Jesus. His grace and mercy are ready to set us free.  His eyes are open and he is listening intently to hear us call on him. 

“The Spirit of the Lord God  is upon Me, Because the Lord  has anointed Me To preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, To proclaim liberty to the captives, And the opening of the prison to those  who  are bound;

Isaiah 61:1 NKJV

We need to pray for freedom of souls being held captive by sin. We need to examine our hearts and minds for any sinful thing still working in us and allow God to purify us through repentance.  We need to call on the Name of Jesus to change the hearts of mankind and submit ourselves to be His hands and feet to those around us that so desperately need to be loved and set free. We are commissioned to preach the good news of salvation to the world.  Let's pray for the captives to be set free. God's word promises to set us free.