CHAPTER 36: GOD AS A VERB
Isaiah 60
New King James Version
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.
If you don’t get that, read it again until you do. At my age, I’ve tried many things, some might say everything worth trying. Maybe, I’m not too sure about that. I do know a couple things; time is not on my side and things are not always as they seem. Things require an in depth look rather than an accepting at face value and the to do list should include the word “immediately” instead of tomorrow, unless someone is trying to talk you into something then it’s best to sleep on it, give it a day. Having said all that there’s something else. Prayer and reading the Word. I notice I don’t pray as well, as clearly when I don’t read the Word. Now this is huge. So listen carefully. Generally, I pray after I read, and I’m grateful for what I’ve learned in the actual reading of it and the commentaries after the study. GOD SPEAKS TO ME THROUGH THAT BOOK. I didn’t know that could happen until I did it, many times. I must tell you, without the reading, my prayers become circular. Always mentioning “I need this, I want this, I’m afraid of this, this bothers me,” and ultimately I then begin the horrible struggle of whether God is listening, is He there, AND THE WORST OF ALL THESE NOTIONS; “is all this real?” I am in terror of that that feeling.
I pray then IN A SERIOUSLY UPSET DESPERATION inside myself. And then I remember, this always happens when I am not in the Word, yearning for direction and coming up with ridiculous measures instead of the simplest of solutions that are the Wisdom of God. I must read if I want to lead, otherwise I simply don’t hear Him the world becomes a hideous place where I am alone and pointless, my existence questioned by every waking moment of the night. I never want to be without God or in doubt. King David said it best “do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me.”
Psalm 51:10-12
New International Version
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me.
This is the mother of all chapters. It’s easy for me to teach anybody Chapter 1-35.., even non-believers can get behind “making money with God, Chapter 1.” Up until 36, people can believe in God the way they want to believe, and they make a higher power the way they see it. In many cultures they invent what that higher power looks like, doesn’t matter if it is a door knob, an animal or some super powerful animated hero. For me, 36 is where the rubber meets the road. Jesus is the Messiah, He rose from the dead, will return for His church, the rapture is real, He will sit at the Bema seat to assess the heart of believers, will return to conquer the Anti-Christ in the second coming, and will sit — in the end — on the white throne judgement. Without believing that God is God, the one in the Bible, the Father, who can only be found through the Son, Jesus Christ, without this single belief, the promises mean nothing. What are the promises?
Promises:
God promised that if we search for Him we will find Him (Deuteronomy 4:29).
God promised that His love will never fail (1 Chronicles 16:34).
God promised comfort in our trials (2 Corinthians 1:3–4).
God promised new life in Christ (2 Corinthians 5:17).
God promised our inheritance is reserved for us (1 Peter 1:4).
God promised to finish the work He started in us (Philippians 1:6).
God promised peace when we pray (Philippians 4:6–7).
God promised to supply our needs, not our wants, our needs (Matthew 6:33; Philippians 4:19).
Jesus promised abundant life to those who follow Him (John 10:10).
Jesus promised eternal life to those who trust Him (John 4:14).
Jesus promised His disciples power from on high (Acts 1:8). In that power, they “turned the world upside down” (Acts 17:6, ESV).
Jesus promised that He will return for us (John 14:2–3).
There are many more promises of God that could be listed. All of them find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus Christ, “the radiance of God’s glory” (Hebrews 1:3). “No matter how many promises God has made, they are ‘Yes’ in Christ” (2 Corinthians 1:20).
I’ve tried different ways through the years to explain 36 and this time, I’m just going to tell you how I see it, and let scripture fall where it does. In the past I’ve tried to tell it with the stories of men in the book, what they did, what they didn’t do, how they relied or didn’t .., on God. I tried with my 4 principles, giving examples of behavior that replicates a true believer. Don’t get me wrong, they are all entertaining and trustworthy in content and as I read over them, I think — well, that’s all groovy, but this time let’s just call it what it is. “I gotta believe Jesus..”
In this 36, either I believe in the God of the Bible or I don’t. And if I believe every word in that book that describes the Father, then I also know the only way to the Father is through the Son. And if I believe in the Son, I believe Christ is the Messiah, He rose from the dead and conquered death for our sins. In addition by nothing I have done, I have been given the gift of eternal salvation through the blood of the lamb, given me for nothing I have earned, rather simply by the blood of Christ and my belief in the cross, I will go to Heaven, and my time on Earth will be blessed.
If I get that, God as a Verb starts here, if I don’t, the rest of the chapters 36-50 don’t matter and from this moment on my limitations become my higher power. I am completely restricted without wisdom, knowledge or Discernment of God. All doors that could’ve been opened become walls and all walls are made of Paper Mache’ and there is nothing on the other side of them. I’m on course to wherever a breeze or the whim of the world takes me. I am in control of nothing and nothing is my master. 36 is harsh, real, and everything I needed at the time it was given to me and it is as pertinent then as it is now. The ball is in my court now.
If I buy the Bible, and believe God the Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost are truly discovered and explained in the living Word of God and that the book is the primary map of the past, present and future, from the beginning of the world to the end, if I believe that — there is no limitation or restriction to my salvation, success or destiny.
I am good to go and my God is a turbo charger blasting me into the fourth dimension above and beyond my grasp or understanding. Life, in short — is T minus 3 seconds to liftoff and the rockets are hot. Delivered from the hands of fate into the hands of Destiny. The jews could’ve saved themselves forty years if they just would’ve believed and followed through. They didn’t, as it is written, many died for it, struck down for their disobedience. The window of opportunity was closed. Harsh. Do I really want that in my life? No, I don’t. I have caused problems in my life and had to bring it all to the Lord for forgiveness and to sort it all out. Did I? Yes, I did. Did it work? Yes it did. Do I still blow it? Yes, I do. In Him, we straighten it out. When God opens a door for me, I want to run through it. Why? I want the key of David, and I’m guessing so do you. What is that?
Revelation 3:7-8
New Living Translation
7 “Write this letter to the angel of the church in Philadelphia.
This is the message from the one who is holy and true,
the one who has the key of David.
What he opens, no one can close;
and what he closes, no one can open:[a]
8 “I know all the things you do, and I have opened a door for you that no one can close. You have little strength, yet you obeyed my word and did not deny me.
Ask not what God can do for you, but what you can do for God.
The ten commandments — to remind me why I need Christ. Only God could forgive me for all the sinning I do and have done. Jesus did that. He paid the price for all sins, past, present and future. I, we get a second chance everyday. Adam caused the problem, he didn’t watch out for Eve, and Christ fixed it, as it is written.
Romans 5:19 New International Version (NIV)
19 For just as through the disobedience of the one man the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the one man the many will be made righteous.
Then I get it through my thick skull that there are rules, to abide by. My aim is true either for the good or not. I am for Christ or I am not.
Matthew 12:30-31
New International Version
30 “Whoever is not with me is against me, and whoever does not gather with me scatters. 31 And so I tell you, every kind of sin and slander can be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Spirit will not be forgiven.
Romans 2:6-8 New International Version (NIV)
6 God “will repay each person according to what they have done.”[a] 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.
Believe in Christ so that 37 through 50 can belong to you. Wielding the power that the Lord allows is a big responsibility, prove yourself well and push for a better you.
Psalm 146:3
New Living Translation
Don’t put your confidence in powerful people;
there is no help for you there.
36 is a choice. Otherwise, where do I stand with my business, my life? Is there some person that could make my dreams come true? Is that the way I want to walk my path? Chasing after the coat tails of who? Comparing myself to others? Somebody? No! I don’t want that and neither do you! I want to be fulfilled in what God has planned for me, right now in this moment! Praying for what you want is dangerous, pray for His will be done et all.
Every thought and conversation of a gathering is preparing for the future, isn’t it? How do you prepare for the future, is in God’s way or men? Mostly, we hear about gathering for the future, so when we get there everything is good and we can live in the future, all well and good. Think about that while I read this scripture.
Luke 12:19-21
New King James Version
19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up
for many years; take your ease; eat, drink, and be merry.” ’ 20 But
God said to him, ‘Fool! This night your soul will be required of
you; then whose will those things be which you have provided?’ “So
is he who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
James 4:13-14
New King James Version
Do Not Boast About Tomorrow
13 Come now, you who say, “Today or tomorrow [a]we will go to
such and such a city, spend a year there, buy and sell, and make a
profit”; 14 whereas you do not know what will happen tomorrow.
For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time
and then vanishes away.
Look, my business didn’t instantly grow into awesome the moment I turned to the Lord. Oh, wait, yes it did, the day I said, “God direct me, and I will obey..”, that moment things began to change, my opportunities fell from the sky, yes they did.
And with opportunity came a whole lot of growing pains, “a whole lot of growing pains” and I had to ask the Lord everyday to help me with them all, and still do. You know how He helps? With more challenge, more lessons, more uncomfortable, inconvenience and pain. As I look back on it now, I see that it was everything I needed to proceed in the miracles He had given, as it is today.
Job 5:17
Blessed is the one whom God corrects; so, do not despise the discipline of the Almighty.
36 is where I ride my destiny or fate overtakes me.
Am I to be delivered from the hands of fate into the hands of destiny, or remain a shadow of what I could’ve been?
What is God as a Verb? Acceptance, Obedience, Discernment of the spirit in all practical matters through prayer and the exact Word of Scripture – and finally the request of the Father Through the Son — for the mercy and grace to prevail in what challenges may be His to yield and mine to do..
“My Lord, your will be done, with me do what you will in the strength provided, I must obey…”
Amen
Chapter 36 God as a Verb, where the rubber meets the road. John lets see how we do today…
