Posted in Bible Journaling, Christian Service, Evangelism, Life Inspiration

Don’t Miss Your Assignment

Written by talk2shari Published March 8, 2018 Discussion Leave a Comment

The story of Samuel begins as the answered prayer of his mother, Hannah, who prayed for Samuel and then gave him to the Lord to use. A thought unimaginable to me as a mother, who labored 8 hours for one and 4 hours for the other, and wanted my girls as much as Hannah wanted Samuel. I can’t imagine at just a few years old, taking that child to the temple and handing him over to a Priest to raise. Hannah’s name actually meant grace. A gift God had no doubt blessed her with in order to do what she did.

The characters in the story of Hannah would have also caused a mother of lesser faith to second guess her decision. Eli the priest had done a terrible job of raising his own sons, they were heathens, making a mockery of their role at temple and God eventually tires of it and kills them. And now Samuel is growing up under the guidance of Eli. I think I might have hung out at the temple a lot! Looking to see if my son was cared for. But Hannah didn’t. She trusts God and eventually had three more sons. Who no doubt took up much of her time.

Samuel grew up just fine, as we know from the scriptures, but what if the story went another direction. What if the story of Billy Graham had gone another direction and he hadn’t have accepted God’s call on his life, how many millions would have gone to Hell? How do we know that we’re not the next great soul winner in God’s plan? What if we only win one soul, but that soul wins millions, and what if we neglect so great a calling because we didn’t take the time to hear it?

A Study from Samuel 3:1-18

¹ And the child Samuel ministered unto the Lord before Eli. And the word of the Lord was precious in those days; there was no open vision.

Right out of the gate in the life of Samuel we learn that children are not excluded from the call and service of Christ. We also learn that there is no “open vision.” Meaning that God was no longer communicating with the way He once did. Probably because of the behaviors of Eli’s sons, which likely affected the rest of the nation, who had never needed any help falling into sin in times past.

²And it came to pass at that time, when Eli was laid down in his place, and his eyes began to wax dim, that he could not see; ³And ere the lamp of God went out in the temple of the Lord, where the ark of God was, and Samuel was laid down to sleep; ⁴That the Lord called Samuel: and he answered, Here am I.⁵And he ran unto Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou calledst me. And he said, I called not; lie down again. And he went and lay down.⁶And the Lord called yet again, Samuel. And Samuel arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And he answered, I called not, my son; lie down again.⁷Now Samuel did not yet know the Lord, neither was the word of the Lord yet revealed unto him.

Samuel thought that he was hearing Eli. He was young and had never experienced the Lord working in his life before. I was 34 before I ever experienced the Lord working in my life. That brings us to the question, how are you to know that God is talking to you?

KNOWING THE VOICE OF GOD

⁸And the Lord called Samuel again the third time. And he arose and went to Eli, and said, Here am I; for thou didst call me. And Eli perceived that the Lord had called the child.

We understand through the word of God how we hear from Jesus: when the scripture says in John 10:27 “My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” Over time we begin to distinguish the voice of God from the voice of the world that constantly pulls us in different directions. But not without a relationship that is constantly growing in Christ. Thinking that Sunday morning Christianity is enough… isn’t. A loving relationship isn’t open for conversations 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. It is for certain you won’t hear if you don’t spend time with Jesus and listen.

⁹Therefore Eli said unto Samuel, Go, lie down: and it shall be, if he call thee, that thou shalt say, Speak, Lord; for thy servant heareth. So Samuel went and lay down in his place. ¹⁰And the Lord came, and stood, and called as at other times, Samuel, Samuel. Then Samuel answered, Speak; for thy servant heareth.

This time Samuel responded.

Hearing and understanding that it is God requires more. It requires:

KNOWING THE CHARACTER OF GOD

¹¹And the Lord said to Samuel, Behold, I will do a thing in Israel, at which both the ears of every one that heareth it shall tingle. ¹²In that day I will perform against Eli all things which I have spoken concerning his house: when I begin, I will also make an end. ¹³For I have told him that I will judge his house for ever for the iniquity which he knoweth; because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not. ¹⁴And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli’s house shall not be purged with sacrifice nor offering for ever.¹⁵And Samuel lay until the morning, and opened the doors of the house of the Lord. And Samuel feared to shew Eli the vision.

God tells Samuel that He’s going to bring Judgement on Eli and his sons. What does that tell you about the character of God and has He changed? Of course not! Malachi 3:6a tells us “For I am the Lord, I change not;”

So in knowing and understanding the character of God we can for certain weigh what we’re hearing against what we know to be the character of God. Would God personally do what you believe you heard? Anyone who says that God told them to do something immoral or unjust didn’t get that word from God.

Another all telling sign “can” be that the word you received makes you uncomfortable. Samuel didn’t want to have tell Eli that God was going to bring judgement upon them. When God told me that I needed to speak, that thought was way outside my comfort zone, but it wasn’t way outside my thoughts. I’d always desired it, but the world had convinced me that I could not. Preaching and teaching the word of God isn’t a popular thing to do in this day and time.

KNOWING THE DIRECTION OF GOD

¹⁶Then Eli called Samuel, and said, Samuel, my son. And he answered, Here am I. ¹⁷And he said, What is the thing that the Lord hath said unto thee? I pray thee hide it not from me: God do so to thee, and more also, if thou hide any thing from me of all the things that he said unto thee. ¹⁸And Samuel told him every whit, and hid nothing from him. And he said, It is the Lord: let him do what seemeth him good. ¹⁹And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground.

A most amazing statement when we read “None of his words fall to the ground.” Everything that Samuel ever said, came to pass. Would to God, that I had such a relationship with the Lord, that everything I said came to be. I’m pretty sure that every single time I said “God said.” He didn’t. Because if He had said it, it would have happened and it did not.

I need to listen closer, draw closer and never fail to hear an assignment from God.

Posted in Life Inspiration

What are the Odds?

Written by talk2shari Published January 5, 2016January 5, 2016 Discussion Leave a Comment

One of my favorite characters in scripture is Jonathan, the son of Saul, friend of David, and most importantly man of God. What an illustration of friendship he is and an encouragement to the soul in days of days of doubt. As the son of a jealous, insecure and often disobedient to the will of God, King, Jonathan likely had many days of doubt; but he didn’t let it deter God’s purpose for his life. Through my years in the youth ministry I’ve stood amazed on more than one occasion how a young person of questionable upbringing managed to redirect their moral compass from that of their family. It is because of those living testimonies that I can ignore the statistics that would put the entire family on the prison bus, or hand them the keys to the poor house. I’ve witnessed “Jonathan’s” for myself and have often drawn strength from their stories when I have doubt in my own life and God’s purpose for me or others that I care for.

A telling scripture for the character of Jonathan is 1 Samuel 14:6

And Jonathan said to the young man that bare his armour, Come, and let us go over unto the garrison of these uncircumcised: it may be that the Lord will work for us: for there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few.

A Decision in Doubt

Jonathan said to his armor bearer “Maybe the Lord will work for us,” casting doubt on his own decision making. He’d not told his father of his lone battle plan against the Philistine army, making me wonder if he’d doubted his father’s leadership early on which in turn created the root of his insecurity. I’m not a psychologist so I can’t tell you if that’s the case, I only know from my own experience that self-doubt used by God is called faith.

A Work in His Will

Jonathan may have doubted whether or not he should have gone off on his own but he didn’t doubt God’s ability to work. It is that faith that I’ve seen in children who have come out of some pretty rough situations, and it is that faith that I myself have had to rely on when dealing with self-doubt. Many people are in disbelief when I tell them of my lack of self-confidence and insecurities because on the surface I don’t appear to be that way. This is where faith changes the course in lives. The same insecurities that can cause someone to follow generational failure and poor decision making can also be the catapult for success with the realization that God is in control, and not us.

No Reason for Restraint

Faith. It’s the unexplainable explanation for success. “Just God.” There is no other way to explain why it happens. Jonathan said there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few. It’s not about me it’s what God can do through me. I believe that it’s what those who defy the odds tap into for strength and wisdom and it’s why I don’t ever look at where someone came from to determine there they might go. I know where I have been… and look what He’s done with me.

Jonathan and his armor bearer fought and won a battle with about twenty men. What are the odds? They’re great with God on our side!

CLICK BELOW TO FOLLOW OR MESSAGE ME ON FACEBOOK

Error: Contact form not found.

Posted in Christian Service, Leadership

But now… those aren’t your shoes!

Written by talk2shari Published January 13, 2015January 13, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 13:14

But now thy kingdom shall not continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his people, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee.

The handsome man that stood a head taller than the crowd had made it two years and then there came that fateful day, (a fate he set himself) when he decided he could fill Samuel’s shoes. After all, he’d lead men into battle, what was a worship service compared to that? I totally don’t know if that was Saul’s attitude, but it could have been. I feel a sense of arrogance in him in chapter 13. When Samuel asked Saul in verse 11 “What hast thou done?” Saul responded “Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou camest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; Therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt offering.”

I can tell you one thing, I’m not going to speak in arrogance. I’ve been Saul. I’ve wanted those cute shoes that belonged to some other chick, and yes I thought I could do it myself! After all, I’d done more complex things. Well let me just tell you; it worked about as well for me as it did for Saul.

Saul said that he “forced” himself to do it. Which meant obviously something, or Someone, (God) was convincing him otherwise. We know when something is not our job, but it’s human nature to think that we can do it better, especially if someone’s not doing it on our timeframe. Hello? Who am I preaching to besides me? Jeepers I’m an impatient person. And I have on more than one occasion, many more times than one, stepped into someone else’s shoes rather than obeying the Spirit of God Who said “wait.”

The end result for Saul was that he got himself kicked out of leadership. Fired by God! How sad is that? God had a plan, and it was great! In verse 13 Samuel says to Saul “Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever.”

But now… not now. You’ve messed that up Saul. Those cute shoes have gotten me into trouble so many times! You see, I’m a leadership junky! I love it. I didn’t realize I loved it, I didn’t even start out desiring it. All of a sudden one day I awoke to the fact that people were watching me and following me; and a part of me was scared to death and the other side of me thought, “Wow… that’s pretty cool.” So when I saw something that needed done, I needed to do it. Because that’s what leadership does…. Uh oh.

No they don’t!

Leadership lets those whom God desires to use get used. And sometimes those who He desires to use take their time getting into place, and its leadership’s job to not get their knickers in a knot or their panties in a bunch and take over. Especially when it’s a God appointed position! Cute shoes or no, they’re not yours to wear.

That lesson took Saul and I both a while to learn… I hope it takes you less. I hope that because of this blog today you realized it before you stepped into the cute little pumps or espadrilles that didn’t belong to you. God’s anointed positions are serious business; and anointed positions are not just preaching and teaching. Take heed friend, lest we mess with the plan.

FROM THE STUDY “BUT NOW”

Posted in Christian Service, Leadership, Life Inspiration

But now… He made us, so He’ll keep us

Written by talk2shari Published January 10, 2015January 10, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 12:10

And they cried unto the Lord, and said, We have sinned, because we have forsaken the Lord, and have served Baalim and Ashtaroth: but now deliver us out of the hand of our enemies, and we will serve thee.

Samuel had just done a roll call of sins and doubts of the people of Israel to remind them that although again and again they had failed God, but now and always He had delivered them. At this time they fail God again by asking Samuel to choose a King among them so that they would have a leader as the other nations around them did… as if God wasn’t enough. So God provided a king and another promise to His people; one that we too can cling to today.

12:20-25

And Samuel said unto the people, Fear not: ye have done all this wickedness: yet turn not aside from following the Lord, but serve the Lord with all your heart; And turn ye not aside: for then should ye go after vain things, which cannot profit nor deliver; for they are vain. For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people. Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way: Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart: for consider how great things he hath done for you. But if ye shall still do wickedly, ye shall be consumed, both ye and your king.

If you read this full chapter you’ll see that Samuel had called upon God for a light show just to remind Israel again Who it was that controlled the world; should they forget and get some vain notion that a man actually did. (Hello America!) So, his point was well proven and he goes on to tell them that even though that wasn’t God’s plan, God’s still going to take care of them. It had pleased God to make them, therefore He thought He’d keep them.

That struck a chord in my heart this morning. Oh! I am ever so glad that that promise is alive and well today through the blood of Jesus Christ for an unworthy sinner such as I. Even though I’ve failed Him, I’ve allowed other things in my life to rule and reign over my decision making, God will still send a lightning bolt from Heaven once in a while to remind me that He loves me still. I doubt, I question and I complain and God waits silently for me to shut up and then speaks peace back to my soul.

And as for Samuel the leader, there is a reminder for those of us who lead those who fail (just like us). God forbid that we should sin in failing to pray and teach the good right way. As church leaders it’s so easy to get frustrated when the congregation of the Lord treats the sanctuary more like a library. That’s a place of praise and worship, lest we forget.

In the beginning of chapter 12 Samuel asked the congregation a rhetorical question as to whether or not he had defrauded or oppressed them as a leader. They said no. So he began to give them a list of other leaders who God had used to deliver them, yet were not harkened to either until the children got in trouble; then they were willing to listen. Sure enough this congregation would regret having Saul as king. But now…Samuel must still pray and lead. And that’s what we’re called to do. Pray and lead by example.

I cannot make the congregation of the Lord shout! But I can shout. I cannot make them listen, but I can listen. I cannot make anyone else get excited, but I can cause that excitement to bubble up from within their soul when they feel the Holy Spirit blessing me. And He will… if I stay faithful.

But now… He’ll keep us.

Posted in Christian Service, Life Inspiration

But Now…a Trip to the Wood Shed for this Chick

Written by talk2shari Published January 9, 2015January 9, 2015 Discussion Leave a Comment

1 Samuel 2:30

Wherefore the Lord God of Israel saith, I said indeed that thy house, and the house of thy father, should walk before me for ever: but now the Lord saith, Be it far from me; for them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed.

Eli the Priest had two sons that would have followed in his footsteps, but the scripture is clear on who they had become in 1 Samuel 2:12 “Now the sons of Eli were sons of Belial; they knew not the Lord.” They were unsaved, idolatrous men that certainly knew better. They and Eli were aware of what the responsibilities of leadership was, and yet the sons took their disrespect of the house of God to the furthest extreme and because of it they had caused the congregation of the Lord to sin. Eli knew of this and confronted them in verse 24 when he said ^“Nay, my sons; for it is no good report that I hear: ye make the Lord’s people to transgress.” But that’s as far as Eli took it. He continued to allow his sons to be in a position of authority and influence until finally God had had enough and killed them both. But now…judgment had come and Eli had lost his sons. God’s point was made, and the punishment was doled out. For the sons it was death, for Eli it living with the fact that he contributed to their demise by treating his sons’ sins too lightly. It’s a harsh lesson in leadership this morning for me because I too have been guilty of taking the righteousness of God too lightly and not wanting to offend someone.

A lesson in the teen class this week had us examining the question of whether or not our relationships with our earthly father influenced our attitude with our Heavenly Father. I believe whole heartedly that it does. My earthly father was one of the sweetest men you’d ever know, and a pretty passive fellow. He stood his ground on what he believed but he was not a strong disciplinarian nor was he very confrontational. I’m pretty sure I’ve viewed God much the same. I don’t take Him nearly as serious as I should. Please don’t misunderstand… I’m not blaming my Dad for my transgressions, I am without excuse. But I do believe as leaders we have to be careful about imputing our ideas of Who God is from our earthly role models.

My Dad as wonderful as he was, did not have the power of life and death in his hands. He could not change a man’s fate for the better or worse. He did not have the power to elevate someone or lower their estate. But God does! He’ll honor those who honor Him, and those who don’t… well…. You might be in trouble.

But now, the Lord saith and we should listen. Call sin, sin; in your life and those you lead. Don’t justify it, deny it or overlook it. That’s not honoring God. The “But Now” study has once again hit pretty close home for me which is why I write. It’s therapeutic and cleansing. I just take you along with me like a kid in trouble going to the wood shed; hoping their father won’t embarrass them by tannin’ their hide in front of their friends. That never works for me; it didn’t work for Eli either.