Knowledge, Ask Questions

This is a short post with a powerful punch. We have heard how God doesn’t change and how God loves us. Yet, many have perceptions of God but not knowledge.

Understanding God’s ways or having knowledge of how God thinks or works in us, in our life and in the world is a puzzle sometimes. Need an example?

Okay. Look at 1 Kings 17. Remember Elijah? He lived during a time of drought and famine on earth. Remember God sent a raven to gather food and feed Elijah. Elijah was near a stream so he had water during the drought. But when the stream dried up, Elijah knew that was a sign that God wanted him to relocate. God even told Elijah to move to Zarephath.

Note: When a stream God is using to help you dries up, God may be telling you it is time to make a change, a move.

So God tells Elijah where to go, what city. But God also tells Elijah in 1 Kings 17: 7-16 KJV
7. “And it came to pass after a while, that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land.
8. And the word of the LORD came unto him, saying,
9. Arise, get thee to Zarephath, which belongeth to Zidon, and dwell there: behold, I have commanded a widow woman there to sustain thee.
10. So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, the widow woman was there gathering of sticks: and he called to her, and said, Fetch me, I pray thee, a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.
11. And as she was going to fetch it, he called to her, and said, Bring me, I pray thee, a morsel of bread in thine hand.
12. And she said, As the LORD thy God liveth, I have not a cake, but an handful of meal in a barrel, and a little oil in a cruse: and, behold, I am gathering two sticks, that I may go in and dress it for me and my son, that we may eat it, and die.
13. And Elijah said unto her, Fear not; go and do as thou hast said: but make me thereof a little cake first, and bring it unto me, and after make for thee and for thy son.
14. For thus saith the LORD God of Israel, The barrel of meal shall not waste, neither shall the cruse of oil fail, until the day that the LORD sendeth rain upon the earth.
15. And she went and did according to the saying of Elijah: and she, and he, and her house, did eat many days.
16. And the barrel of meal wasted not, neither did the cruse of oil fail, according to the word of the LORD, which he spake by Elijah. ”

Knowledge – asks questions.
Why did God send Elijah to a poor poverty stricken widow and not to a wealthy person?

Who would you have sent Elijah to?

But God sent Elijah to a poor widow, why?
I encourage comments on this question. What do you think about this question? Why did God send Elijah to a poor, broke widow woman and not to a “well off” person?

Until next time.

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*Q
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Learning To Drive

It doesn’t matter if you are learning to ride a bike or drive a car or truck, someone instructed you how to drive. Then, through practice, you get understanding and become proficient. Eventually, you get it, you can drive.

Some people have a God given gift for teaching and others are not so good. Just think about the person who taught you to drive. I remember my first attempt at driving was with a 1967 GTO 4 speed on the floor. I was overwhelmed with having to watch the road, steer, work the gas and brake plus shift gears, work the clutch and not stall the vehicle.  As I looked down to find the clutch, my hand turned the steering wheel and we were over the rock pile and sitting in a corn field.

I could have quit on driving,  but I didn’t. I had implemented the instructions I was given, I thought, but I failed. Nothing worked as I was instructed. Faith is not asking why something fails but faith is believing if I keep trying and follow the instructions, eventually I must succeed. Why? Because the method or process is proven to work time and time again.

You see, when you do something and you know you are following the proven instructions, you are taking your hands off the steering wheel of your life and letting God steer you. And God has provided instructions on how to go to heaven when your body dies. God has provided instructions on how to grow, prosper and flourish, but you have to take your hands off the steering wheel and let God steer you.

Like my GTO experience, it may not work right the first few times but don’t quit. I chose poor and poverty as examples. I laid the ground work in the last post Poor vs Poverty. I did not choose that topic to promote a prosperity gospel. I chose that because it is foundational to the example of letting God steer your life.

You get out what you put in to. Another words, you reap what you sow. And if you are dependent on others, dependent on a government, dependent on anyone or anything but God, you are in poverty. Poverty, not just in money but anything, brings or reaps dependence. You can have poverty spiritually where you depend on others, teachers and not God and his word.

You can have poverty in relationships where you depend on others for your happiness. You can have poverty in your finances where you depend on a job or a paycheck. You can have poverty with your health where you depend on doctors. And what causes all these to be in poverty? The people themselves choose to be dependent and therefore choose to be in poverty.

You see, poverty is a mindset. Poverty is a lie from Satan to deceive people. People think if some health issue was with a parent, an aunt or uncle, then they too will have the issue. You know, “it’s in the genes”. But you can change it for you by making changes in your life style. Follow God’s instructions regarding health issues, diet and life style.

People on welfare think because their mother and/or father went on welfare they will end up on welfare. Wrong. You can change it by using God’s word for direction regarding money issues.

People struggle with understanding things of God so they depend on others to guide them. If you want to know about God, what God thinks, how God works, then get in to his word and learn for yourself. Let God himself teach you about him.

If you are watching horror movies and wonder why your life is out of control or miserable, change your behaviour. Stop watching horror movies and start watching things to strengthen your spirit man. Watch things that can help impact your life for the better.

Poverty is a mindset. People become poor for many reasons but when they become completely dependent on someone else (other than God) or something else, they plunge themselves into poverty. Proverbs 6:10-11 KJV
“Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep:
[11] So shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth, and thy want as an armed man.”

Proverbs 21:12-18 KJV  “The righteous man wisely considereth the house of the wicked: but God overthroweth the wicked for their wickedness.
[13] Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.
[14] A gift in secret pacifieth anger: and a reward in the bosom strong wrath.
[15] It is joy to the just to do judgment: but destruction shall be to the workers of iniquity.
[16] The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation of the dead.
[17] He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man: he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich.
[18] The wicked shall be a ransom for the righteous, and the transgressor for the upright.”

We need to help the poor and not by giving handouts. Oh we may need to pay a bill or two for someone sometimes or deliver a couple of bags of groceries but the way we truly help is by helping them find their God given gifts and talents and help them get into that field.

I would challenge you to find someone who is dependent on someone and help set them free. Yes, you might need to give a handout but then give a hand up.

Until next time.

Define Poor vs Poverty – Part 1

Poor refers to one person normally.  We say he or she is poor. But when referring to more than one we might use the word poverty, like – they live in poverty.

Did you ever ask, what causes people to be poor?  Why are some nations, or countries in poverty? Why are some cities in America in poverty? What causes poverty? Scripture has a lot to say about the poor and poverty. But scripture also provides a path out of poverty and God himself set the plan and He explains poverty.

This is not a post on getting wealth. This is about understanding how people become poor and how you can help them come out of poverty. And this post is not about what you may think. You see, the consequences of poverty is dependence.

So if people, husbands, wives, employers, states, counties, governments or countries can create an atmosphere where the people become dependent on them, they are, in reality, creating poverty.

When you look at “globalization” you find a group of people have banded together under the guise of creating a “better world” according to their wants and desires. This group sets up regulations, rules and treaties to force countries to abide by their rules. This results in taking the wealth of some to distribute to others. America is a perfect example.

For years America was a creditor nation. America loaned money to others. America also gave of her wealth and prosperity to help poor people and nations in poverty. So a group of people come along and set rules like the clean air and water act. Like fossil fuel filters. Like auto exhaust regulations. Do you think foreign countries followed these rules? Do you think communist countries obeyed these rules? Do you think undeveloped countries were concerned with water runoff? No. But this was a way to take money, through regulations, to redistribute the wealth of America. Oh, and don’t forget “global warming”, coined by globalists.

These globalists also targeted rules within America. Rules such as taxation, social security, medicare and others, all brought to fruition in the early to mid 1900s. These new rules took wealth from the people and redistributed that wealth to a central governmental body. This central government has used this wealth for their own pleasures – 

Proverbs 23:21 KJV  “For the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags.”

These “rulers” have transformed America from a creditor nation to a debtor nation and now 20 trillion in debt. And the people pick leaders no longer based on truth and righteousness, but on the color of their skin or their sex (male or female).

Isaiah 3:9-15 KJV  “The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.
[10] Say ye to the righteous, that it shall be well with him : for they shall eat the fruit of their doings.
[11] Woe unto the wicked! it shall be ill with him : for the reward of his hands shall be given him.
[12] As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths.
[13] The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people.
[14] The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses.
[15] What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts.”

So America realizes what has transpired over the past 50 – 80 years and decides to fight against the forces of globalization. How? They select Donald Trump as their new president.

And we will pick this up from here next time.