By Sister Tarpley, NDG Religion Editor
An author, Henry Blackaby wrote in his book, Experiencing God: Knowing and Doing His Will, “You cannot go with God and stay where you are.”
Think about this, if you want to experience something you’ve never done, you must do something you’ve never done before. Strive for a new paradigm (this paradigm is an example that serves as a pattern or model for faith in God.)
God often has to radically change us if we are going to fulfill His purposes in our lives. In the book of Samuel, Saul was about to be anointed by Samuel as the first king of Israel. Samuel said to Saul, “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and be turned into another man.” 1 Samuel 10:6 (KJV). Samuel told Saul that he would be a different person, that he would have God’s power.
Up to this point, Saul had never prophesied or led a group of people. He had also never had to be accountable to a prophet and to God for his every action. Saul took a big step of faith right away and prophesied with the prophets just as Samuel said he would. How exciting that must have been. Yet, when Samuel called the entire nation of Israel together to announce Saul as Israel’s first king in history, Saul was nowhere to be found. Excitement was in the air, but when they call Saul’s name, he didn’t come forward. “Therefore they (the people) inquired of the Lord further, if the man should yet come thither. And the Lord answered, Behold, he hath hid himself among the stuff.” 1 Samuel 10:22 (KJV).
The story of King Saul should be an encouragement to us all. God continues to pick the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. Your greatest setback can be thinking that there’s no way that God can use “little me.” However, the reality is that He can and will use us, if we respond to the new places He takes us.
Ask God to use you to ripen the fruit of the Spirit. Ask Him for help to bear this fruit in your life to show and share love, joy, and peace. Ask God for help to be long-suffering, gentle and good; to have strong faith; to be meek and temperate, you should be slow to speak and quick to listen. Remember God gave us only one mouth but two ears.
If you ask God, He will help you walk in the Spirit so that your life will be pleasing to Him and you will be a light in the darkness for others, so that the world may know that He is God and that He can do anything but fail.
Believe that God is faithful, good and just. Believe with your mind, body, and soul. Let God be your anchor and He will keep you from drifting out to sea in the currents of unbelief.
Psalms 100:5 says, “For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting; and His truth endureth to all generations.” And Isaiah 45:21b says, “. . . who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I the Lord? and there is no God else besides Me; a just God and a savior; there is none besides me.” God is good and He will never do anything bad. He will never make a mistake, mislead or be unfair because He wants us to live in the beauty of His holiness.
