Andrew Golden's Blog, page 37

Step Out Of The Boat

Romans 1:17

17 For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith to faith: as it is written, The just shall live by faith

Matthew 14:29

29 And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus.

My mother used to sing a song that said “by faith step out of the boat”. That one line was stuck in my head all day. I thought of how safe the boat is. How we can set in the boat and everything will be okay. However, that is all we will do is set there. It is when we put our faith to work that things happen. It is when we decide it is time to get out of the boat and take the steps God is bidding us to take. I know the waves look scary. I know the what if questions are bouncing in your head. It is a big step. However, when you take it Jesus is there to guide you to the next step and then all the steps that come next. You will be able to have faith in the healing of your family. You will have faith that bills will be paid. You will even have faith that God is watching over you. You can stay in the boat and be safe, or you can step out and see that faith in God will protect and guide you.

Better Than Money

Acts 3:6


6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

We focus to much on worldly possessions that we can give. We think we have to be in a place to give money to people. Let me give you something that is better than money. Let me give you hope in Jesus. Let me tell you about how he gave us salvation. I do not have a million dollars to give away, but I do have hope in Jesus.

Jealousy

Proverbs 6:34

34 For jealousy is the rage of a man: therefore he will not spare in the day of vengeance.

James 3:16

16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.

Have you ever set next to someone and listened to them complain about the things they do not have? Most of the time they are complaining because someone else got something that they wanted. The truth is that if we are not careful, we will fall into this exact same mindset. We will become so jealous and envious of others that we forget that just maybe what we did not receive was not God’s plan. Whenever someone gets something that you want, congratulate them. Then remember God has something waiting on you. You just have to wait a little longer for it.

Your Trust In God

Joshua 1:9

9 Have not I commanded thee? Be strong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: for the LORD thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.

Exodus 15:16

16 But lift thou up thy rod, and stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it: and the children of Israel shall go on dry ground through the midst of the sea.

Have you ever stood before something that seems to be an impossible task? It does not matter if you know that God has called you to it, you fear it. You are afraid to dive in and get to work. You ask what if everything goes wrong? You let the bad that could happen stop you from the task at hand. We forget that God parted the sea for Moses. He stopped the flow of a river for Joshua. They trusted in God. They knew he would guide them through. So when you look at the journey before you, stop and know God is going to lay the path out. He will be with you. The enemy can put a sea in front of you and God will just divide it. Trust that he has you on this journey.

Keep The Marriage Strong

Ephesians 4:26-27

26 Be ye angry, and sin not: let not the sun go down upon your wrath:

27 Neither give place to the devil.

Everyone who is married will tell you that at some point their spouse has danced all over their last nerve. They have gotten so angry at the other person, they could not even stand to hear them speak. My wife and I have both been there, but we learned that before we close our eyes at night we better work out our problems. When you go to sleep with that anger, it begins to consume you. You will wake up with more anger than the night before. This allows the enemy to begin putting a wedge between the two of you. That wedge will begin to widen the gap that should have been closed the night before. You will say things you do not mean. Things that never bothered you before will become annoying. All this is caused from letting the sun set on your anger. So stay up and work it out. Talk it out. Listen to each other and stop the enemy from driving that wedge.

Don’t Be Troubled

Galatians 6:17-18

17 From henceforth let no man trouble me: for I bear in my body the marks of the Lord Jesus.

18 Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit. Amen.

When I was younger, I would let people who challenged my beliefs get under my skin. I would get upset when people tried to persuade me that my faith was misplaced. As I got older I began to realize that this was pointless. If I am steadfast in my faith and I know that Christ died for my sins, why get upset about people who attack my beliefs for no reason. Now I just smile and go on. People are going to attack you. It may be that they think the entire Bible is wrong or they cannot accept it because it condemns their life style. If you have studied, know the scripture, and have peace in your heart about it, then just ignore them. We know Jesus is our saviour. We know our sins are payed for. So there is no reason to argue, just smile and pray for them.

Prayer Warrior

Jeremiah 51:20

20 Thou art my battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms;

This morning I was thinking of my grandmother. My father told me that when his mother would tell him she was going to pray for him, he would just set on his bed at night because he would never get sleep. I remember when my oldest child was in the hospital, she came to pray for him. You knew when she prayed it was like she went from being a feeble woman to the mightiest warrior you have ever seen. Everyone who knew her called her a prayer warrior. She would go to her closet and pray. While praying she was using God to destroy every obstacle the enemy laid before her. We all could learn from this. We should all hit our knees when we need God to move. That is when the war is waged and won. It is not when we argue with someone. It is not when we try to fix our own circumstances. It is when we become prayer warriors and fight by letting God fight and win our battles.

He Is Real

Romans 1:19-21

19 Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed itunto them.
20 For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse:
21 Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened.

We all agree that God exist. We can see it when we stop and look at nature or hear a newborn baby cry. There are many ways that people see the work of God. The sad thing is many believe he does not exist. They believe that over time we evolved and created the theory of a higher power. A few years ago I was visiting a church and had the honor to hear a man speak of how he used to be an atheist. It was that night that I learned these people who have given into their imagination can turn to God. So, when you feel that these people are beyond saving, stop and know that God can still touch the heart of a sinner. He can open their eyes to his existence. They will see his work in everything just like the rest of us.

Love Of Christ

Romans 8:38-39

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The question is, why would you want to be separated from the love of God? A love that hung on the cross. A love the would bare the weight of all sin. A love that cannot be measured. God’s love for us is beyond words. So why don’t we start acting like we are loved by the one true God. Let people see that we are loved and rejoice in the love that is Jesus Christ.

An Unexpected Journey

Deuteronomy 31:8

8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed

If God woke you up in the middle of the night and told you to go a thousand miles, your first thought would be about your job, the money you would need, and could you actually do it. We would be afraid of the unknown. We would worry about everything rather than just taking off on the journey for God. We forget that God is already moving to make the way for us to go. He will be with us every step of the way. He is not going to make us go on the journey alone. So when God sends you on an unexpected journey, do not question it and trust the one who sent you.