I heard my "brother" Robert Morris say something yesterday that greatly encouraged me and I do believe it will encourage you, too. He was recounting and teaching on the story of Joseph. We all know about his life. And lots of people like to point out his "pit to the palace" journey, focusing mostly on the palace. Many people also like to claim to be "Josephs" in their own families. Whether or not that is true, there are some key things we need to remember. Joseph had a God-given destiny and purpose and he chose to honor God with his life. He was not off doing his own thing and pleasing himself. He risked prison, about 13 years of it, because he lived a life of honor.
So what did I hear my brother, Robert Morris say? He said that until the prophetic word over Joseph's life was fulfilled, the literal Word of God tested him. That's what goes on in the waiting time. It's a time when great discouragement, oppression, and depression can threaten the prophetic word and you are tempted to give up and give in. It was true for Joseph and it is true for us as well. And always remember that "[Y]our waiting time is not wasted time." [Pastor Tim Williams of Time Square Church.]
THE LITERAL WORD OF GOD WILL TEST YOU UNTIL THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD OVER YOUR LIFE COMES TO PASS.
And we know it's not just one "word," that is true for every prophetic word that He has spoken over you in a given area. He cannot entrust to you what His Word has not proven in you. He will prove you. David, the Psalmist, more that once would ask God to prove him, test him, see whether he could be trusted in a particular area. (See Psalms 26, and 139) And we can use the life of David for demonstration. He failed certain tests at certain times yet he humbled himself in repentance and God would give him another chance. After all, God called him "a man after My own heart." Not only that, God established an eternal kingdom in David, in whose line the Lord Jesus Christ was born.
David's Failures
Remember how he arranged for Bathsheba's husband to be killed after he had slept with her. But remember how he withstood the counsel of his men to kill King Saul when he had the golden opportunity to kill him and to be rid of his "Saul" problem. In the end, David passed his many tests, accomplishing his destiny and purpose, and died in dignity and honor before His God.
Like David, we will pass some tests, and we will fail some. God is proving us, he is testing us in all areas of our lives where He has spoken a prophetic word. And are not be in fear but to be encouraged and move boldly by faith in the One Who gave the prophetic word and Whose literal Word tests us.
We cannot get to the second word without first going through the first. Put another way, you have to "pass" through the first (literal Word of God) before being entrusted with the second (prophetic word of God).
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO PASS THE TEST OF THE LITERAL WORD OF GOD?
LIVE A LIFE THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE BIBLE LIVING BY BIBLICAL IDEALS, WITH A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW, AND NEITHER ACCEPTING NOR COMPROMISING WITH UNBIBLICAL CONDUCT, DEEDS, OR WORDS, REMEMBERING THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER TO LEAD US INTO ALL TRUTH.
This is simple yet in our daily lives we hit some right on the mark while we miss others. Thankfully, God is faithful because He never leaves us nor forsakes us. We always have access to the empowerment to obey Him. God is merciful as His mercies toward us are new every morning and they endure forever. He is gentle, patient, and kind. I say all of this because while He is an all consuming fire with power that is incomprehensible to us, His attitude toward us is first and foremost -- LOVE, because GOD IS LOVE!
OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN TESTED BY THE WORD OF GOD
But before I end this short piece of encouragement for your waiting time. Think of a few individuals from the Bible who failed their 'life' tests and others to passed:
1. King Saul [FAILED] - the Word of the Lord tested him and he failed and continued to fail, never repenting and dying in disgrace and dishonor. The kingdom of Israel forever ripped out of his hands and the hands of his descendants.
2. Saul who became Paul [PASSED] - He passed his test once he had his "Road to Damascus" experience. He humbled himself and served God for the rest of his life to the point of martyrdom.
3. Abraham [PASSED]- He began as an idol worshipper yet when the literal Word of God from the mouth of God came, he believed God and became the father of our faith.
4. Ananias and Saphira [FAILED] - Ordinary people like you and I who received the Word of God through the apostles under the unction of the Holy Spirit, which tested them. They failed miserably, suffering the instant sentence of death for grieving the Holy Spirit through lying.
[We could go deeper into the lives of these individuals and it would make a great study, but that is not the purpose of this piece.]
God wants us to know that His Word tests us so that He can prove us until His prophetic word over our lives can be fulfilled. For this we should be very thankful because there is nothing like a premature fulfillment to destroy the one who received the word and those they lead and influence.
YOU AND ME
So....
What about you? Which story above will be the pattern for your life. Will it be a legacy of victory by living according to the literal Word of God in the Bible or one of failure for ignoring your Hope which is in Christ Jesus? You get to choose.
As for me ... I intend to pass my tests under the literal Word of God so that the prophetic word of God over my life will come to pass. Admittedly, I have missed some, quite a bit, but thank God for grace and second, third, and fourth chances. As we are turned toward God, He metes out to us, showers of His grace to go on to be victorious over the hindrances in our lives that keep us bogged down and tethered to that which is unprofitable. But, God ...! For some of us, it often takes a miracle to overcome the hurdles of impossibility.
Thank God, He specializes in impossibilities!
You see our lives before God are a gigantic "IF...THEN..." statements. Consider Deuteronomy 28 where God tells the Israelites, if you would do this, then this would happen. If you would obey my commandments (all that I tell you to do), you will be blessed. If not, you will be cursed. Simple.
The WORD WILL TEST YOU. And while some people around us might be fooled into thinking we are sincere, God can never be duped. He knows if you are genuinely His. Our lives are all naked before Him.
Be encouraged, no one wants us to pass His tests more than God does and through the Holy Spirit, the Teacher gives us the answers so that we can all pass our tests!
Let's pass our tests so that we can get to our promises!!
So what did I hear my brother, Robert Morris say? He said that until the prophetic word over Joseph's life was fulfilled, the literal Word of God tested him. That's what goes on in the waiting time. It's a time when great discouragement, oppression, and depression can threaten the prophetic word and you are tempted to give up and give in. It was true for Joseph and it is true for us as well. And always remember that "[Y]our waiting time is not wasted time." [Pastor Tim Williams of Time Square Church.]
THE LITERAL WORD OF GOD WILL TEST YOU UNTIL THE PROPHETIC WORD OF GOD OVER YOUR LIFE COMES TO PASS.
And we know it's not just one "word," that is true for every prophetic word that He has spoken over you in a given area. He cannot entrust to you what His Word has not proven in you. He will prove you. David, the Psalmist, more that once would ask God to prove him, test him, see whether he could be trusted in a particular area. (See Psalms 26, and 139) And we can use the life of David for demonstration. He failed certain tests at certain times yet he humbled himself in repentance and God would give him another chance. After all, God called him "a man after My own heart." Not only that, God established an eternal kingdom in David, in whose line the Lord Jesus Christ was born.
David's Failures
Remember how he arranged for Bathsheba's husband to be killed after he had slept with her. But remember how he withstood the counsel of his men to kill King Saul when he had the golden opportunity to kill him and to be rid of his "Saul" problem. In the end, David passed his many tests, accomplishing his destiny and purpose, and died in dignity and honor before His God.
Like David, we will pass some tests, and we will fail some. God is proving us, he is testing us in all areas of our lives where He has spoken a prophetic word. And are not be in fear but to be encouraged and move boldly by faith in the One Who gave the prophetic word and Whose literal Word tests us.
We cannot get to the second word without first going through the first. Put another way, you have to "pass" through the first (literal Word of God) before being entrusted with the second (prophetic word of God).
WHAT DOES IT LOOK LIKE TO PASS THE TEST OF THE LITERAL WORD OF GOD?
LIVE A LIFE THAT IS CONSISTENT WITH THE BIBLE LIVING BY BIBLICAL IDEALS, WITH A BIBLICAL WORLD VIEW, AND NEITHER ACCEPTING NOR COMPROMISING WITH UNBIBLICAL CONDUCT, DEEDS, OR WORDS, REMEMBERING THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT IS OUR HELPER TO LEAD US INTO ALL TRUTH.
This is simple yet in our daily lives we hit some right on the mark while we miss others. Thankfully, God is faithful because He never leaves us nor forsakes us. We always have access to the empowerment to obey Him. God is merciful as His mercies toward us are new every morning and they endure forever. He is gentle, patient, and kind. I say all of this because while He is an all consuming fire with power that is incomprehensible to us, His attitude toward us is first and foremost -- LOVE, because GOD IS LOVE!
OTHERS WHO HAVE BEEN TESTED BY THE WORD OF GOD
But before I end this short piece of encouragement for your waiting time. Think of a few individuals from the Bible who failed their 'life' tests and others to passed:
1. King Saul [FAILED] - the Word of the Lord tested him and he failed and continued to fail, never repenting and dying in disgrace and dishonor. The kingdom of Israel forever ripped out of his hands and the hands of his descendants.
2. Saul who became Paul [PASSED] - He passed his test once he had his "Road to Damascus" experience. He humbled himself and served God for the rest of his life to the point of martyrdom.
3. Abraham [PASSED]- He began as an idol worshipper yet when the literal Word of God from the mouth of God came, he believed God and became the father of our faith.
4. Ananias and Saphira [FAILED] - Ordinary people like you and I who received the Word of God through the apostles under the unction of the Holy Spirit, which tested them. They failed miserably, suffering the instant sentence of death for grieving the Holy Spirit through lying.
[We could go deeper into the lives of these individuals and it would make a great study, but that is not the purpose of this piece.]
God wants us to know that His Word tests us so that He can prove us until His prophetic word over our lives can be fulfilled. For this we should be very thankful because there is nothing like a premature fulfillment to destroy the one who received the word and those they lead and influence.
YOU AND ME
So....
What about you? Which story above will be the pattern for your life. Will it be a legacy of victory by living according to the literal Word of God in the Bible or one of failure for ignoring your Hope which is in Christ Jesus? You get to choose.
As for me ... I intend to pass my tests under the literal Word of God so that the prophetic word of God over my life will come to pass. Admittedly, I have missed some, quite a bit, but thank God for grace and second, third, and fourth chances. As we are turned toward God, He metes out to us, showers of His grace to go on to be victorious over the hindrances in our lives that keep us bogged down and tethered to that which is unprofitable. But, God ...! For some of us, it often takes a miracle to overcome the hurdles of impossibility.
Thank God, He specializes in impossibilities!
You see our lives before God are a gigantic "IF...THEN..." statements. Consider Deuteronomy 28 where God tells the Israelites, if you would do this, then this would happen. If you would obey my commandments (all that I tell you to do), you will be blessed. If not, you will be cursed. Simple.
The WORD WILL TEST YOU. And while some people around us might be fooled into thinking we are sincere, God can never be duped. He knows if you are genuinely His. Our lives are all naked before Him.
Be encouraged, no one wants us to pass His tests more than God does and through the Holy Spirit, the Teacher gives us the answers so that we can all pass our tests!
Let's pass our tests so that we can get to our promises!!
