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God Is Not Limited By Appearances by Marnie Pehrson
In 1 Samuel, the Lord sent Samuel to select the next king from among the sons of Jesse. A strong strapping young man was brought forward and in Samuels mind, he looked like the best prospect. But the Lord told Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart (1 Samuel 16:7). In essence, the Lord was telling Samuel, Things are not as they appear. Start looking at people and things the way I do, and youll see something truly amazing. In this instance, the Lord saw the youngest son, a small lad named David who would later become a great king of Israel. The Lord doesnt look on appearances. The current results that are out there in our lives are not the truth. What is in our hearts is the truth. Proverbs 23:7 tells us, For as [a man or woman] thinketh in his/her heart, so is s/he. What is in our hearts determines our realities. Someone once said that a thought reaps an act, an act reaps a habit, a habit reaps a character and a character reaps a destiny. The seeds of thought we sow today, determine our ultimate destiny. In Pauls excellent lecture on faith found in Hebrews 11 he lists a myriad of individuals who lived by faith then says that they had the ability to see the promises from afar off (Hebrews 11:13). They saw promises that not only they would receive, but also that we as their posterity would receive. In the famous verse found in Hebrews 11:1 Paul explains, Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. We usually stop right there, but if we continue reading, in verse 3 he says, Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. God is not limited by appearances, circumstances or present results. He doesnt need to create your blessings or solutions out of whats currently happening in your life. Faith is the substance from which He creates your miracle. Can you see faith? Can you touch it? Does it appear before you in physical form? No! Faith is that which does not appear, but from which God creates results in physical, tangible form in your life. The skeptic may say, Well, thats just impossible. How can you create something physical from that which you cannot see? Jesus answered this question plainly, With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible (Matthew 19:26). But what kind of faith is required here? Is it simply to believe that God is? Is it to believe that Jesus is the Christ? Thats part of it, but theres more. Hebrews 11:6 explains the two parts to an active, miracle-producing faith: But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. So if we want to please God, we have to have faith in two things:
Not only do we need to believe in Christ, but we need to believe Him when He says that nothing is impossible through Him. He tell us not to look at appearances because Hes not limited by them. Theres nothing that is broken that He cannot mend. There is nothing so hopeless that He can not remedy it. There is no weakness that He cannot transform into a strength (Hebrews 11:34). A third point to ponder here is that if we believe that God rewards those who diligently seek Him, then we will not be foolish enough to believe that God will reward those who do not! True faith leads to action. Paul asked the Corinthians, Do ye look on things after the outward appearance? If any man trust to himself that he is Christs, let him of himself think this again, that, as he is Christs, even so are we Christs. (2 Corinthians 10:7) If we are Christ's if we are diligently seeking Him as Hebrews 11:6 says, then we dont need to look on the outward appearances of people, things or circumstances. They arent the truth. A Christian author named Wallace D. Wattles wrote in the early 1900s, Every man has the natural and inherent power to think what he wants to think, but it requires far more effort to do so than it does to think the thoughts which are suggested by appearances. To think according to appearance is easy; to think truth regardless of appearances is laborious, and requires the expenditure of more power than any other work man is called upon to perform. When the Lord is telling us to have faith, Hes telling us to think truth regardless of appearances, and thats not an easy task. It takes sustained mental effort to think truth especially when appearances are screaming that the truth is a lie! I find it profound that the Savior taught I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6). Are you looking for a way out? Jesus is the way. Are you straining to have faith? Start thinking truth regardless of appearances. Jesus is that Truth. Fix your eyes on the Master and trust that He can fix whatever is broken in your life. It may look totally hopeless from mans perspective. Appearances may shout that there is no point in trying anymore. But look to Jesus Christ and you see the way; you see the truth; you see life breathed back into that broken situation. Do not limit Gods ability to bless you with your miracle by wallowing in appearances. Look to Christ, doubt not, fear not.
The author may be contacted at http://www.MarniePehrson.com
webmaster@shelovesgod.com.
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Marnie L. Pehrson is a wife, mother of 6, founder of SheLovesGod.com, and author of both inspirational Christian titles such as |
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