The Call of Keilah

When David heard that the Philistines had attacked Keilah, ransacking the threshing floors and stealing the grain, he prayed and asked God for guidance.

David (to the Lord): Should I attack these Philistines?

Eternal One: Yes. Save Keilah, and defeat the Philistines.

David’s Men (objecting): We have a lot to fear even as we sit here in Judah. Think how much worse it will be if we go to fight the armies of the Philistines in Keilah.

So David asked the Eternal again just to make sure.

Eternal One: Yes, defend Keilah. I will grant you victory over the Philistines.

(1 Samuel 23:1-4 VOICE)

The people of Keilah were under attack by the Philistines. Upon hearing of their plight, David did not make a hasty decision to rush in, instead, he immediately sought God’s guidance, and God told him to go into hostile territory – a daring expedition that from man’s perspective would be an exercise in futility.

David, at that time, was still in exile, a refugee in Judah, so he was well aware that for him to answer this distress call was to place himself and his men in grave danger. Not surprisingly, his men objected, but David, who God Himself testified was, “a man after My own heart”, did not allow human reasoning – neither his men’s nor his own – to cause him to be disobedient to God.

Have you ever felt prompted to act in a way that seemed impractical even nonsensical to you and to others but you just know that it is the Lord’s leading? And, despite this knowing you allow the objections of those around you to bring doubt? Pray for God’s guidance. Do not allow reasoning to enter into the equation, always keep in mind what God said in Isaiah 55:8-9,

“My intentions are not always yours, and I do not go about things as you do. My thoughts and My ways are above and beyond you, just as heaven is far from your reach here on earth.” (VOICE)

Exactly.

“Instead, God has deliberately chosen to use ideas the world considers foolish and of little worth in order to shame those people considered by the world as wise and great.” – 1 Corinthians 1:27 (TLB)

Have you received the call of Keilah – the call of obedience to God? What has God called you to do that makes absolutely no sense but deep down you know it’s what you ought to do?

When God tells you to act in a way that does not fall in line with sanity, do it anyway. Pray for His guidance. Hold firm to your conviction that God has spoken into your life. Hold on to the guarantee of God. Pay no attention to wagging tongues, simply choose to obey God. 

Amen†

The Call of Keilah

Shelley Johnson March 7, 2017

A Steady Hope

“The tree might give up hope altogether under the weight of the winter snow if it were not aware of the coming spring”

Do you realize that it is under the worst conditions that character is developed?

Paul put it this way:

“…we can be full of joy here and now even in our trials and troubles. Taken in the right spirit these very things will give us patient endurance; this in turn will develop a mature character, and a character of this sort produces a steady hope, a hope that will never disappoint us...” – Romans 5:3-5 (Phillips)

There is no other way for mature character to be formed but in the harshest environments. God puts you through these seasons of testing, some more severe than others, because He is producing in you that hope which Scripture describes as steady and “will never disappoint”. 

This steady hope cannot be grown otherwise; it springs from deep within you, out of a love God pours into your heart by His own Spirit living inside you. So that, even when you’re going through the winter storms of life, and God seems cold and distant, find comfort in knowing that He is indeed with you because His Holy Spirit resides in you. 

“No situation, no matter how wretched it seems, but has some sort of comfort attending it” – Goldsmith

Begin to see these challenging times as seasonal, and rest assured, as with all seasons, it shall soon pass, for Winter always gives way to Spring. And, after you have patiently endured, you will be a different person, with a different outlook and a different sense of purpose – that is character building; that is forging a steadfast hope.

Such steady hope is the perpetual fuel that propels you forward, though your winter may be long and extreme in nature. Such steady hope has the power to keep you focused on God, and the coming Spring despite the biting cold and frost.

My friend, your Winter experience is not in vain, it is a necessary phase of your spiritual journey, so savor the time of dank as preparation to burst forth anew, all the while remembering that winter makes the dawn of spring all the more beautiful.

“…the winter is past, the rain is over and gone. The flowers are springing up and the time of the singing of birds has come. Yes, spring is here.” – Song of Songs 2:11-12 (TLB)

Amen†

A Steady Hope

Shelley Johnson March 7, 2017

"If" and "Then", plus "Now"

“if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Now My eyes will be open and My ears attentive to prayer made in this place. For now I have chosen and sanctified this house, that My name may be there forever; and My eyes and My heart will be there perpetually.” – 2 Chronicles 7:14-16 (NKJV)

These words, which God spoke to Solomon, could teach us all a very valuable lesson. When we read the Word we do not realize that God’s response to us, for the most part, is conditional. 

Throughout Scripture we come across those verses that tell us that if we do, God will act. For example, Jesus lets us know in John 15:7 that “if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon”(MSG) – that’s conditional. 

Here’s a hint: whenever you see the words “if” and “then”, you can be sure that it’s letting you know that, if you do this then God will do that. Such sentences or statements are contingent on the choices you make and express certainty of God’s response to your choices. 

So let us look at what God told Solomon and is telling us via 2 Chronicles 7:14-16…

Your Part:

Humble yourself – you have to get to a place of humility, like the woman with the issue of blood (see Luke 8:43-48) or the Prodigal son (see Luke 15:11-24), where you come to your senses from deep within you and you get low before the Lord, it is an act of desperation where you throw off any shame or inhibitions and come to Him just as you are…naked, exposed, bleeding, dirty.

Pray – pour out your heart before the Lord, sincere and genuine, a repentant cry (see Acts 3:19)

Seek God’s face – search for His face and not His hand; you’re not looking for what God can give you, His presents, but rather you’re looking for His presence – an intimate connection, revelation and knowledge of who God is; to encounter His manifest presence in your life.

Turn from your wicked ways – speaks of repentance, going in the opposite direction to the ways of the world (sin) towards the spiritual and godly; a turning away from self to God; from the evil intent devised in your heart (see Jeremiah 17:9)

God’s Part:

God will hear from heaven – His dwelling place, throne-room, realm of grace, the spiritual realm (see 1 Kings 8:30)

God will forgive your sin – 1 John 1:9 (NLT) "if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness." 

God will heal your land – He will bring restoration, and renewal, not just to your physical land but more importantly to what land symbolizes: your heart, your godly inheritance and everything concerning you.

Then there’s the extra...

Beloved, when you do your part, God doesn’t just do His part as promised, He always gives you a little something more – that’s where “Now” comes in.

The Plus Now:

God’s eyes will be opened – He is keeping watch over you

God’s ears will be attentive to your prayers – He’s always going to listen to your prayers especially

God places you on the list of the chosen and sanctification takes place

God will continuously be looking out for you, He’ll place His seal on you and His ceaseless love will be tangible in your life.

It is your willingness to obey that brings these rewards and, not only in heaven, but “now in this time” – “Now” rewards.

Look at what happened to Job when he finally understood what God was showing him and did what he needed to do, “God restored his fortune—and then doubled it!” (Job 42:10 MSG)

And, see what Jesus tells us will happen when we let go of certain things for God’s sake, “They’ll get it all back, but multiplied many times” (see Mark 10:29-30). 

So, do not be reluctant to do your part, even when it makes no sense, because everything God tells you to do is always for your best and born out of His great love for you. 

Know that if you fulfill your part, then you can be certain that God will fulfill His part and after that even more.

Amen†

"If" and "Then", plus "Now"

Shelley Johnson March 6, 2017

Love over Sacrifice

“…I want faithful love, not sacrifice. I want people to know God, not to bring burnt offerings.” – Hosea 6:6 (ERV)

Job did everything right. He did everything that was expected of a man of God. He faithfully observed all the required religious traditions and performed all the required rituals – he upheld the holy feasts, made sacrifices and burnt offerings but Job acted more out of craven fear, than faithful love. Job was terribly afraid of God, and he did not truly know God. 

You see, like Job, too many Christians become caught up in outward observances because they believe that’s what’s most important. They do all that’s expected of them as a good Christian, making sure to follow all the religious traditions, busying themselves with the various rules of the church, tirelessly working in different church groups and attending a plethora of church meetings, all the while having no genuine knowledge of God. So busy are they with church that they haven’t the time to establish a relationship with God. 

Anyone can make a sacrifice. Anyone can present a burnt offering. Anyone can make an outward show of being Christian. And to one’s fellowman you appear to be sincere and genuine in your walk with God, but do not forget that God sees what man cannot see, He sees your heart – what is deepest within you. He knows your true motives and your intentions. God is not fooled. 

God wants you to know Him. It is in knowing God that faithful love for Him is produced in you. And out of that faithful love comes reverential fear. Everything you do will then be done out of your faithful love of God. This is what God wants. He does not want a sacrifice born from trepidation, or from a man-made tradition. God wants you to sacrifice because of the deep love you have for Him. He wants love over sacrifice.

Amen†

Love over Sacrifice

Shelley Johnson March 2, 2017

Today is the first day of Lent, Ash Wednesday. Lent is the season on the Christian calendar when we commemorate the forty days that Jesus spent in the wilderness. 

Shortly after He was baptized by John the Baptist and anointed by the Holy Spirit in the River Jordan, Jesus was led into the wilderness by the same Spirit to be tempted by the devil.

Luke 4:13, as it is written,
“Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, where for forty days He was tempted by the devil.”

Jesus was tempted to the utmost regarding each one of the instinctual needs of humanity “yet did not sin” (Hebrews 4:15). It was a period of extreme testing – a spiritual battle between His divinity and His humanity.

Lent represents our own battle with the same temptations. Like our Lord Jesus, we must remain steadfast in our resolve to not yield to the devil’s enticements. We must hold fast to the Word of God, recite it aloud when necessary and fill the atmosphere with praise and prayer.

Lent also represents a time of sacrifice. We often give up indulging in the things we most enjoy, as our sacrifice for Lent but the sacrifice we should offer is that of our very selves. Paul exhorts us to offer ourselves as living sacrifices (Romans 12:1); to “put to death the deeds of the body” (Romans 8:13) by complete submission to the Holy Spirit of God. Paul is speaking about the spiritual sacrifice God desires, the true Lenten sacrifice.

In this season of Lent, let us focus on higher things rather than our comforts and pleasures; let us follow Jesus; let us “present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is our reasonable service”, for this is what we are called to do.

Our Lenten Sacrifice ©2013 Shelley Johnson 13-Feb-13

Remember, God Knows

I received a message this morning from a friend via WhatsApp, and it was so perfect and appropriate – exactly what I needed to be reminded of today. Now this is not someone who I’ve confided in, and it’s not someone with whom I regularly chat, so this person has no idea what I am feeling or experiencing at this time but, God knows. He knows what is deepest within me. 

Remember, God knows what we need and when we need it…God knows. And He can and will use anyone to deliver His messages. I feel moved to share the message I received, God’s message of love, with you…

God wants us to be seeds that fall into the good soil. Who hear the word and understand it. We need to be rooted in God's word and have a strong foundation so when we do face difficult situations we would be able to stay strong knowing that God is in control [of] our lives because God promises us in Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans I have for you", declares the Lord "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future" 

God has a perfect plan over our lives. He doesn't want us to give up. We need to have faith as small as a mustard seed and fight every battle by the grace and strength He gives us when we trust Him.

Don't doubt Him for a second. He does not want to harm us in anyway but to prosper us. Every difficulty we face in life see that as God moulding and equipping us to be stronger to be the person we need to be in the future. Have a blessed day in Jesus Christ. May God bless you abundantly.

Amen†

Remember, God Knows

Shelley Johnson February 2, 2017

Take the First Step

“A person's steps are directed by the LORD. How then can anyone understand their own way?” – Proverbs 20:24 (NIV)

God directs our steps. So, if God is directing your steps, don’t you think it’s time to get to stepping? What has God been telling you to do, that up to now you’re still hemming and hawing over? 

If you’re not sure where to go, how to begin, or what you should do, then you initiate the process by stepping towards God and ask Him: “Lord, what would you have me do?” Yes, it is that simple. Ain’t life grand? 

Take the first step – ask God and He will direct your steps; He promises to tell you the way…

This is what the Lord says— your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel: “I am the Lord your God, who teaches you what is best for you, who directs you in the way you should go.” – Isaiah 48:17 (NIV)

Whether you turn to the right or to the left, your ears will hear a voice behind you, saying, “This is the way; walk in it.” – Isaiah 30:21 (NIV)

Yes, God will indeed tell you the way you should go, but take the first step – go to God in prayer!

Amen†

Take the First Step

Shelley Johnson January 27, 2017