Gods Ways are not Our Ways (but we can make Our Ways God’s Ways)

Isa 55:6  Seek ye the LORD while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near:

Isa 55:7  Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the LORD, and he will have mercy upon him; and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

The Old Testament’s filled with stories of how God interacted with man and helps to give us light on the scale of what He can do with what He’s got to work with.

The New Testament reveals how God still interacts with man and and what man can do with what He’s given us.

The OT events were natural, the NT events spiritual.

OT prophecies are hard to understand, unless we we have knowledge of Israel’s past, with the NT we can understand Israel’s (and all believers) futures.

OT events were seen by thousands at one time. Most NT events happened to much fewer.

The Old Testament deals in real events that could be seen and the New with things unseen, but just as real.

No wonder we can find scores of paintings on OT events and in the NT characters are mostly represented.

Maybe that’s why God finished the Bible with the book of Revelation. There’s a visual banquet for artists to paint that’s unmatched by all the other books combined.

People that don’t study both books are denying themselves a sumptuous meal, by filling up on just a few courses.

Let’s look at a few interesting situations and see if we can draw some conclusions.

God uses Sound

2Ki 7:3  And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate: and they said one to another, Why sit we here until we die?

2Ki 7:4  If we say, We will enter into the city, then the famine is in the city, and we shall die there: and if we sit still here, we die also. Now therefore come, and let us fall unto the host of the Syrians: if they save us alive, we shall live; and if they kill us, we shall but die.

2Ki 7:5  And they rose up in the twilight, to go unto the camp of the Syrians: and when they were come to the uttermost part of the camp of Syria, behold, there was no man there.

2Ki 7:6  For the Lord had made the host of the Syrians to hear a noise of chariots, and a noise of horses, even the noise of a great host: and they said one to another, Lo, the king of Israel hath hired against us the kings of the Hittites, and the kings of the Egyptians, to come upon us.

How can we use sound?

2Ch 16:9a For the eyes of the LORD run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of themwhose heart is perfect toward him.

God will back up people in a big way, who seek to do His will and trust in Him.

God preferred using Fewer

We can be effective and victorious in our battles, when we have total confidence in God and His purpose. Just as God chose the individual people according to their abilities to fashion the contents His tabernacle in the wilderness, shouldn’t we trust his decisions to pick the right people to defend us?

Jdg 7:2  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people that arewith thee are too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, lest Israel vaunt themselves against me, saying, Mine own hand hath saved me.

Jdg 7:3  Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the people, saying, Whosoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead. And there returned of the people twenty and two thousand; and there remained ten thousand.

Jdg 7:4  And the LORD said unto Gideon, The people are yet too many; bring them down unto the water, and I will try them for thee there: and it shall be, that of whom I say unto thee, This shall go with thee, the same shall go with thee; and of whomsoever I say unto thee, This shall not go with thee, the same shall not go.

Jdg 7:5  So he brought down the people unto the water: and the LORD said unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, him shalt thou set by himself; likewise every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink.

Jdg 7:6  And the number of them that lapped, putting their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men: but all the rest of the people bowed down upon their knees to drink water.

Jdg 7:7  And the LORD said unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lapped will I save you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand: and let all the other people go every man unto his place.

32,000 – 22,000 – 9,700 = 300 Israelites vs 135,000 Midianites

Jdg 8:10  Now Zebah and Zalmunna were in Karkor, and their hosts with them, about fifteen thousand men, all that were left of all the hosts of the children of the east: for there fell an hundred and twenty thousand men that drew sword.

How can we use fewer?

Our trusting and relying on God is important to Him. Shouldn’t it be something we should daily consider as we seek to please Him. Instead of laboring to get numbers of people, using fewer, the fearless and anointed ones will get the job done more completely.

God uses Faith

2Co 4:13  We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;

2Co 4:14  Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall present us with you.

2Co 4:15  For all things are for your sakes, that the abundant grace might through the thanksgiving of many redound to the glory of God.

2Co 4:16  For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

2Co 4:17  For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory;

2Co 4:18  While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen aretemporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal.

Above all other creatures, God has given man the ability to respond to His word with faith. Being made in God’s image, man alone can rule and reign in this life by Jesus Christ.

We are set apart with 2 abilities that we must choose to activate and propel us forward in faith. Although our lives might seem a series of problems, we choose to look past the present, into the future and beyond. We believe and speak of better things than we see, because of our position in God through Jesus Christ. This faith in God, in turn, causes us to act on what we believe, and empowered by grace, we enter into the realm where all things are possible.

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses,even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.

Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many.

Rom 5:17  For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.)

To live and move and have are being in such a position of authority has it’s responsibilities of the office. Such as people in government should be held to higher standards, because of the trust placed in them. We are at risk of losing our office, if we don’t fulfill our duties.

There are important qualifications insisted on by God. The first one being holiness. If holiness doesn’t mean that much in our daily lives and actions, we will not be reigning long.

Another is sanctification. If we become tainted by worldly situations, we’ll be spending all our time, trying to get clean, rather than reigning in life. We have, regardless of our positions, become a slave to sin.

Rom 14:22  Hast thou faith? have it to thyself before God. Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.

Rom 14:23b …for whatsoever is not of faith is sin.

Rom 6:16  Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness?

Slaves cannot rule and reign. Though being set free, they will continue as slaves in their hearts, until they assume their rights and privileges as free people.

The final qualification we’ll mention after holiness and sanctification is walking in the love of God. Without going into depth, this is one evidence of our position in God, because it permeates our lives, our being, and our purpose.

We love God and His creation above our own desires. We desire to see His kingdom blessings for all who will come in. We offer admittance to others that they might experience the righteousness, peace and joy that we experience on a daily basis. We love and want God’s best life for everyone. It’s all free and available through Jesus Christ.

How can we use our faith today?

Bonus

Other unusual things God has used

• A rock for water
• A fish for money
• A battle you did not have to fight
• A stick to make an ax head float
• A tree to purify water
• Water to cure leprosy
• Large hailstones
• 12 natural plagues

God uses Animals

• Balsams Donkey
• Jonah’s Big Fish
• Peter’s Big catch
• Daniel’s Lions
• Paul’s viper
• Jesus’ fish, herd of pigs
• Moses staff/snake

God uses Women & Young Children

• Moses’ Miriam
• Israel’s Deborah – Jael
• Queen Esther
• Mary Mother of Jesus
• Woman at the Well
• Samuel
• King David vs Goliath
• Methuselah
• Jesus and the Teachers

God uses the available.