Stop...

Stop Feeling Your Way Through Life

Genesis 27:23

"And he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands: so he blessed him."

Isaac made a tragic mistake that many people make everyday and that was that he trusted his feelings instead of his common sense and principles. Isaac sent Esau to kill a deer so they could have venison to eat as he planned to give him the family blessing over the meal. Rachel, loving Jacob more than Esau, conceived a plan that Jacob could deceive his father and get the blessing for himself. When Jacob came to Isaac his father for the blessing, Isaac could not believe that he found the deer so fast. So, he asked him to come so that he could feel him, for Esau was a hairy man and Jacob was not. When Isaac felt Jacob, the verse above says, "...he discerned him not, because his hands were hairy, as his brother Esau's hands:..." Isaac gave the blessing to Jacob all because he felt like Esau.

Christian, feelings will get you into trouble. There are too many people who live their life based upon feelings only to see heartache follow. You cannot trust your feelings for they are based upon the emotion of the moment and not upon principles of the Word of God. There are three areas in life where you should not live by feelings.

First, don't make decisions based upon feelings. Many people get themselves into trouble because they base decisions upon feelings. Young people lose their purity because they base a decision upon feelings. People marry someone only to regret it later in life because they base their relationship upon feelings. People join the wrong church because of feelings. Simply put, don't let your feelings make a decision, but make your decisions based upon biblical principles that you have previously set up.

Second, don't spend money based upon feelings. There are many people trying to dig their way out of debt because they bought on feelings. Just because you feel like you should buy something doesn't mean you should purchase it. Money should be spent because it is in your budget to do so. You can purchase things based upon feelings by putting them in on your credit cards, but the credit card bill will eventually come due. Stop spending on feelings and only spend money on things that are in your budget.

Last, don't follow God by feeling. I often hear the statement, "I feel the LORD would have me..." When someone says this they are basing their decision to follow the LORD upon feelings. You will often hear people say, "I feel the LORD is leading me to..." Let me ask you, if you are basing something upon how you feel, what are you going to do when the feeling is gone? There will be many times when there are no feelings, but you still must serve God. When the feelings leave, you better have something more than just a feeling that you based your decision upon. You should not follow the LORD based upon feelings, but you should follow Him because the Word of God tells you to do so.

Christian, be careful about feeling your way through life. You would be better off living your life following the principles of the Word of God. Feelings are based upon so many other factors that are not concrete. You could have good feelings about something because you feel good that day or because you are having a good day; however, when you are having a bad day or are not feeling as well you will find that your feelings won't lead you to do anything but quit. Let God's Word and biblical principles guide you, and you will find that you won't get yourself in the quandary of trying to fix unwanted problems that your feelings led you into.

Is Any Thing...

Is Any Thing Too Hard?

Genesis 18:14

"Is any thing too hard for the LORD? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son."

An amazing question is posed in this verse, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" This question is posed after Sarah was told that she was going to have a child in her old age. Sarah laughed because she knew it was physically and scientifically impossible for her to have a child; however, God asked her this question to get her to understand that though it may seem too hard for man, that He is a God Who can do the impossible.

Christian, I simply want to remind you that no matter what you face in your life that there is nothing too hard for the LORD. If God can cause the sun to go backwards ten degrees, then He can help you with your problems. If God can cause the wall of Jericho to crumble, then He can help you with your problems. If God can create a world in seven days, then He can help you with your problems. If God can raise Lazarus from the dead, then He can help you with your problems. If God can part the Red Sea for Moses and the children of Israel, then He can help you with whatever problem you face. If God can keep the fire from touching the three Hebrew children, then He can help you with your problems. If God can shut the mouths of lions, cause the deaf to hear, make the dumb to speak, cause the lame to walk, make the blind to see, cause the sun to rise and set, control the planets in their orbit and make your life to exist, then He can most certainly help you with all that you face.

God answers the question, "Is any thing too hard for the LORD?" in Jeremiah 32:17 when He says, "Ah Lord GOD! behold, thou hast made the heaven and the earth by thy great power and stretched out arm, and there is nothing too hard for thee:" God said in Isaiah 59:1, "Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;..." What an exciting thought that the hand of God is strong enough to handle any situation in your life!

I don't know what you are facing today, but is your situation too hard for the LORD? Christian, don't let the Devil lie to you that the LORD cannot take care of you. If the LORD fed Elijah in the wilderness with a raven, then He can feed you in your dire financial times. You may not know from where the finances are going to come from, but God can certainly take care of your financial needs.

Is it too hard for God to salvage the life of a friend or family member who seems too hard to be changed? Let me remind you that Jesus turned the Maniac of Gadara into a normal person. This man was a wild man. This man was considered a freak. This man literally ran around naked. Yet, the power of God was able to reach into his life, save his soul and turn him into a normal person. It doesn't matter how far your child, spouse or friend have gone in life, God is powerful enough to change their life.

I could not begin to touch on every situation in life, but I simply want to remind you that your situation is not too hard for God. You may think that your situation is hopeless, but God thrives on taking hopeless situations and turning them into miracles. You may need a miracle, but God is a miracle working God. Don't give up! Your situation is not too hard for the LORD. He can work it out, you must simply believe that He can and not give up.

Power

The Power of Imagination

Genesis 11:6

"And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do."

The power of an imagination is amazing. What the mind can picture can be powerful and must be controlled to keep it from imagining the wrong things. The imagination of an individual starts from childhood and continues through adulthood. When I was a child, I can remember how my imagination would help me to enjoy playing with the most simple things. My brother and I would take the stripes on our bedspread and make them the streets for our matchbox cars. A friend of mine and myself would take sticks and treat them like guns and we would go through the forest acting like we were soldiers fighting a war. Our imaginations created the scenes in our minds and the actions that we performed.

The people in the verse above used their imagination, but they used it in the wrong manner. You will notice that they imagined building a tower to Heaven. Their imagination caused them to unite for one cause. Their imagination gave them drive. Their imagination caused them to sin. Their imagination led to focus that would let nothing restrain them from fulfilling their dream. The actions of these people prove that adults still have an imagination, and that the imagination can be used for good or bad.

You must be careful what you allow your mind to imagine. One's imagination shows their creativity, but creativity can be used for good or bad. If the imagination of an individual is not kept under control, then their imagination can lead to sin. God says in 2 Corinthians 10:5, "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;" If a person does not control their thought life, then their imagination will create wrong dreams and desires. Much of what Hollywood produces is the result of an uncontrolled imagination. The writers of their movies allow their minds to imagine the wrong things, and it produces the wrong pictures. If you don't control what you allow yourself to think about, then you will have problems with your imagination.

On the other hand, a mind that is controlled by Christ can produce a good imagination. Philippians 2:5 says, "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:" When we allow the mind of Christ to control our mind, then our imagination will create right desires. A good imagination will drive the Christian to do great things for God. A good imagination will cause a Christian to stay focused on the will of God. A good imagination will give the Christian the wherewithal to keep going through adverse circumstances. A good imagination will not allow obstacles to restrain them from doing what God has laid on their heart.

You have a choice, you can either have a bad imagination that will lead to sin, or you can have a good imagination that will drive you to do more for God. Be careful what you allow your mind to think about. If you will allow the Spirit of God to control your mind, then the Spirit of God will give you a good imagination. Everyday you need to yield your mind to the Holy Spirit of God and ask Him to control your imaginations. Ask Him to cause you to have the right thoughts and to keep you from having thoughts of foolishness and sin. Be careful what you allow your eyes to see, for your eyes will feed your imagination. Let your imagination be one that would glorify God with the images it creates. If you will let the Holy Spirit control your imaginations, then you will find that it will lead to right actions.