Reign Of Ahaz (cont.)

The question is:

Why do you think we make this kind of choice at times ?

Here are some of the reasons I have come up with .

I want credit for my victories.

I want approval for getting my own victory.

I want to prove it can be done by "the rules."

I want to feel valuable and important.

I want to prove I am smart.

Is 7: 13 (my comment) will I weary God by continuing to do it my way ?

Question:
Why is God so patient according to 2 Peter 3:9 ?

He is wanting all to come to repentance.

Question:
Why were the high places accessible to the young and impressionable Ahaz?

King Ussiah had not removed them.

As I reflect on our Bible Study this past week I think how it must be a human trait to worship idols. Worship and how you do it has been a great concern of our LORD's from the beginning and I know I still have a lot to learn. Making Him a God that wants me to do certain things to please Him, takes away from Who He really is. Almost like making Him an image. Letting Him be a the God Who accepts me just as I am, and lets me worship Him in Spirit and in Truth gives me freedom and joy.

Day 3 A

How I came to have this to share : I asked the Holy Spirit to show me if any of these people or circumstances were similar to anything in my life.

Temptation to worship idols. Man pleasing , worshiping and serving my God not by how the Holy Spirit was leading me, but by the way my peers were suggesting I do it.
Reading about Ahaz just reminded me of where I had been, (and am still being set free from.)
The attitude the Northern Kingdom, before and after their dealings with the South Kingdom jolted me.
How easy it is to become no better than your worst enemy.
If you do not keep a right heart before God the very ones you are so against , their ways, start creeping in to your own life and start becoming your ways.
Maybe this is what David was aware of when he definitely made limits as to what he would say and do , when it came to dealing with King Saul. "Touch not God's anointed ,do my prophets no harm." was his reason for not ending a life of harassment and persecution from an enemy that wanted to destroy him.
This temptation to think I know what God would want for people really is one I have to guard against.
Like the Northern Kingdom , more than once I have found out, my attitude was not lining up with God's.
Present day, read the sermon on the mount, Matt 5. All of that doesn't make sense in a world like ours. Just like it did not make sense to the Northern Kingdom probably. Some guy might of thought, "aren't we suppose to get to make slaves from those we conquer ?" And God said, "NO !"
The other line of thought that came to me was "what to do after you have already fallen into temptation and realized you have made a big mistake." Oh , I am not suggesting God is not sovereign and that He is not going to work everything together for good. Actually that is where I use to start meditating on His word was when some calamity had befallen me and I would quote that scripture over and over. It was not for years that I began to see that God expects us to love Him with our minds ,our gift of reason ,is for a reason.
And I began to ask God to show me if there was some reason for this problem. When the Holy Spirit would bring conviction , it felt good. I would confess my sin to God ,Who is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse of all unrighteousness.
Then I knew I had given into a temptation but I was forgiven .
Then I needed to know "my way of escape." He was and I know He will always be faithful to reveal that "way" to me. It is what is referred to as finding "the Lord in your situtation." Jesus is the WAY.
I know that the words in I Corth 10:13 mean for me ,that even if I have fallen into temptation and now have problems that I would not have if I had not fallen. He still is my help in time of need and will make a way of escape for me. For His grace is sufficient for me in my weaknesses. If I look to Him, the author and the finisher of my faith, He will start right where I am and begin a way for me.
Those guys in the North were tempted to keep all that they had gained from battle but when God said "NO." They gave it up. Praise God. We too can give up whatever we think we would gain by doing things the worlds way. We can give it back and say, "Here you can have it." And we can turn around and go towards the kingdom of heaven. Though our free gifts of righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost may not buy many groceries, it won't have to. We can count on our God to keep us, for He has created us to do His will.

Breaking Free Day Two

Knowing exactly what the LORD would want me to do each day use to be a real concern for me. Then as I realized , it is not so much "what " I do but "how" I do it that mattered most to the LORD, I knew rather than seek His "word" on "what to do " my time would be better spent on seeking His "Holy Spirit" to come and nurture me so that I could do, "as He wants me to do."

When you have loved ones in need it is very tempting (there is that word from yesterday) to attempt to do stuff that will benefit them.
I could picture myself, a little Uzzaih taking my oil and going in to bless the LORD , in my own strength, in my own way.
I know the far better way , is to let " the LORD build the house, or we labor in vain."

As I am waiting for the Spirit of the LORD to come upon me, and then "do"something, I am at peace because He will be faithful to build the house and it will be a house that will stand and not fall down when the winds of adversity come.

I think "leprosy " was a sign that signified rebellion, as that was what Marian ( remember Moses sister ) was smote with when she spoke up against him. She was forgiven and pardoned. So can we be for our times when we have gone ahead and done something in our own power (and idea ) rather than waiting on the Spirit .

Breaking Free Day One

As I was doing day one I just had a little something I wanted to share.
Hopefully when you see just how little it is , you will also be encouraged to just share little insights you get.

Proverbs 8:13 The fear of the LORD [is] to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and the froward mouth, do I hate.

Write your thoughts on how a person can avoid falling to the temptation of pride when he or she meets with success. Conclude by giving prayerful consideration to the example we've seen today.

How does God want you to respond to what He showed you today?

I have realized you can not be Christ like, with out Christ within you, pouring His Spirit through you to do those thing.

So when I think about avoiding temptation I think, "what did Jesus do ?" Then I ask Him, to do that in me, through me.

Jesus was able to speak to the tempter, and say, "It is written, man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God."

Jesus was able to say, "Get thee behind me satan, for it is written , thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve."

Jesus also said, "thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God."

I believe in those three statements somewhere Jesus gave me the victory over the temptation of pride. Jesus was a success. He did exactly what His Heavenly Father wanted Him to do.