Do you have areas of your life you have tried to battle on your own? Are you unable to see past your immediate circumstance? This month, Michelle reminds us of the reality of His steadfast presence and faithfulness, even when our natural eyes don’t see it.
While this comes together cognitively for a child within their first year, I find that sometimes our “object permanence” is not so well developed in the things of the Spirit. As we read the journey of the Israelites through the desert, we see God provide EVERYTHING for them faithfully, over and over again. Yet each time they would encounter a new circumstance, fear would cloud their vision – the eyes of their hearts would close – and they would default to feeling abandoned, alone… “Where are you, God?” While peek-a-boo is delightful with a baby who rediscovers you every time you “disappear,” if it continues past a certain point, there is a developmental issue.
With each new obstacle on the way to their Promise, the Israelites would accuse God and Moses of bringing them into the wilderness to die. They refused to grasp the always present, always faithful, always loving, always seeing, and always compassionate reality of God and the joyous future He had prepared for them…. They couldn’t see it. They were ruled by what they could only immediately see in their circumstance.
In Exodus 32, we see that Moses was gone 40 days, and when he returned, he found that the Israelites had fashioned a new “god.” A little god-object that they could put on a stick, see with their eyes, and touch with their hands… It was powerless, but they could “handle” it. Having a god that fits in MY hands is not big enough… Our God of AWE has us in HIS hands! (Also see Isaiah 44:6-21 & 46:9-10).
How I’d love to just point my finger at the Israelites, but we must look to our own hearts. We have the benefit of a Bible that lays out God’s faithfulness from the beginning to the end of time. He says that He will never leave us, that He has opened the Kingdom to us, and we are His children with full access to ALL His goodness, and ALL His love… Yet, at times, I find that our response to a new obstacle or circumstance is still fear, “Oh no! Where did He go? What am I going to do now?” In the circumstance — the loss, the sudden change, the doctor’s report, the bank statement, the family crisis, the state of our nation — the enemy wants us to be afraid and lose our object permanence, our faith in the One Who was, Who IS, and Who is to come. He is eternal – that’s permanent!
We are never alone in our walk. But sometimes, instead of waiting on our faithful Father to show us the way through to what He has promised; when it seems like it’s been too long (It’s been 40 days, where are You?), we strike out blindly, reaching for anything that looks like it might work or make me more comfortable. Things that will fit in our hands, things we can see, familiar tools that we can lean on to make something happen, instead of the eyes of our heart being open to the leading of the Holy Spirit for divine breakthrough strategies, or the shifts that only He can bring. Our object permanence – our FAITH – is the eyes of our heart being open to the reality of His steadfast presence and faithfulness, even when our natural eyes don’t see it.
Sometimes it looks dark; we can’t see the promised end with our eyes, and it doesn’t always “feel” like God is here – BUT GOD IS PRESENT! He hasn’t gone anywhere, and He never will. Nothing takes Him by surprise, and He will NEVER leave you! Throughout Scripture, there is a picture of your tender Heavenly Father with arms open wide to embrace you, saying and demonstrating repeatedly, “I will never leave you… Believe me!”
I WILL NEVER [under any circumstances] LEAVE YOU [nor give you
up nor leave you without support, nor will I in any degree leave you
helpless] NOR WILL I FORSAKE or LET YOU DOWN or RELEASE My
HOLD ON YOU [assuredly not]! –Hebrews 13:5b (Amp)
Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord will personally go ahead
of you. He will be with you; he will neither fail you nor abandon you.
–Deuteronomy 31:8 (NLT)
Even when I walk through the darkest valley of death, I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me. –Psalm 23:4 (NLT)
Your faith will never be misplaced when it is placed in God and His Word. Anything else will eventually fail. But God is the same in the night as He is in the day. Just because things look different (and they will), or look dark, it does not mean that the One in whom you delighted and rejoiced has diminished in any way… Nor will He – assuredly NOT. Let the eyes of your heart be permanently fixed on Him. When the battle is longer than you hoped, continue to trust Him, be with Him, see what new thing He is doing… Your answers are going to sometimes look different from how they may have looked in the past, or how you had pictured it to work out. But even when your natural eyes don’t see, don’t settle for a gold calf you can hold in your hand. Keep your heart fixed on His goodness and faithfulness… Nothing can pluck you from His hands (John 10:28). You won’t lose!
Activation:
- Read Job 37 – 41 and meditate on the bigness of God. Let your faith and confidence in Him become even more deeply rooted.
- Ask Holy Spirit to show you any area that you have tried to battle on your own. Take some time and place those things back in God’s hands. See yourself and the situation held in HIS hands. Rejoice in His goodness, faithfulness, and being so completely worthy of your trust.
ULTIMATE PASSION – from Patricia King & Steve Swanson
During a conference, Patricia King was sharing a powerful message on the cross when the Spirit of Prophecy came upon her. She began to not merely teach on the cross, but to prophesy from God’s perspective the message of His love for each and every one of us. While this was occurring, Steve Swanson was also flowing in a powerful worship anointing adding sounds from heaven to the unfolding of this amazing revelation. A teaching. A soaking CD. This CD cant be categorized, but has to be heard!
THE NOW OF GOD – A MP3 teaching from Robert Hotchkin
Do you have prophetic words, promises or callings that have been spoken over your life that feel stuck, delayed, or like they may never come forth? As you listen to this message, those promises are going to be activated and accelerated by the NOW of God. As Robert Hotchkin reveals and declares the Present-Tense Power of the Great I AM into your life, you will be empowered, equipped and ignited to dwell in victory from this day forth. The frustrations of your past, challenges of your present, and concerns for the future will all fall away once you come to understand the NOW of God and discover your ability in Him to reach past time into the eternal realm of Heaven to lay hold of the breakthrough power of I AM – right now!
You are God’s beloved child. There is nothing He wants more than to draw you into the fullness of His love, and engage you in a lifestyle of never-ending intimacy. Truly knowing the Lord in this place of deep communion is the key to living a Kingdom life. That is why the devil works so hard to whisper lies to you that would keep you from fully engaging with God. But in this message, Robert Hotchkin exposes the lies of the enemy that separate us from God, and reveals how simple it is to fully respond to the Lord’s invitation to know Him intimately and engage with Him powerfully.
Dont spend another moment feeling separated from the Lord. Begin engaging with God today!
GOD OF THE IMPOSSIBLE – An MP3 teaching from Robert Hotchkin
Are you believing for something so big it seems almost impossible? Do you find yourself in the midst of a mess that seems way bigger than you are? Have you been waiting (and waiting) on a promise from God that seems like it’s just never going to happen? If so, don’t miss this teaching from Robert Hotchkin. As you listen, you will come to understand that truly all things are possible with God – even the most seemingly improbable or impossible! There is no situation in your finances, your health, your relationships, or your calling that is too big, too difficult, or too delayed for God. He is well able to bring it all forth in impossible ways at impossible times because, truly, He is the God of the Impossible!
We at XP Ministries thank you for your prayers, partnership, and financial support. May you be richly and abundantly blessed. And remember, God loves you with an everlasting love!
