Stepping Into The Life God Has Planned For You
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What did you hear?
What stood out to you?
What biblical teaching or principle has been hard for you to grasp or understand?
Let me know in the comments below.
When I read this for my Bible time I began by thinking, Whatever I read today I will apply it to my life. As I began to read through, I wasn’t sure what God was trying to tell me but it soon became very clear. Let’s read, you’ll see what I mean.
1 In the second year of King Darius, on the first day of the sixth month, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua son of Jozadak,[a] the high priest:
2 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “These people say, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the Lord’s house.’”
3 Then the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai: 4 “Is it a time for you yourselves to be living in your paneled houses, while this house remains a ruin?”
5 Now this is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 6 You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.”
7 This is what the Lord Almighty says: “Give careful thought to your ways. 8 Go up into the mountains and bring down timber and build my house, so that I may take pleasure in it and be honored,” says the Lord. 9 “You expected much, but see, it turned out to be little. What you brought home, I blew away. Why?” declares the Lord Almighty. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house. 10 Therefore, because of you the heavens have withheld their dew and the earth its crops. 11 I called for a drought on the fields and the mountains, on the grain, the new wine, the olive oil and everything else the ground produces, on people and livestock, and on all the labor of your hands.”
12 Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of the people obeyed the voice of the Lord their God and the message of the prophet Haggai, because the Lord their God had sent him. And the people feared the Lord.
13 Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave this message of the Lord to the people: “I am with you,” declares the Lord. 14 So the Lord stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua son of Jozadak, the high priest, and the spirit of the whole remnant of the people. They came and began to work on the house of the Lord Almighty, their God, 15 on the twenty-fourth day of the sixth month.
God knew the people’s hearts, he knew they were all thinking, and saying “It’s not time to rebuild the house of the Lord.” They were talking about the temple. The temple had been neglected and it was in poor condition. The Bible says it was in “ruin” (V. 4)
God spoke through Haggai to the people and asked, “So it’s ok for you, the people, to live in paneled houses while God’s temple remains in ruin” (summarized) He goes on to tell them, that they do the things they are supposed to do, like earn wages, eat, drink, but they are not satisfied, and their needs are never met.
Why do you think this is? I believe the answer lies in Matthew 6:25-34. It tells us that if we put God first all of our needs will be met. We will not have to worry, struggle, or be hungry, God will take care of us.
We see that in Haggai 1 the people were struggling, their needs were not being met. The would eat, but they were still hungry, they earn wages but the money didn’t stretch far enough. It’s because they were not putting God first. Back then, they had to start with God’s temple. This was a time before Jesus where God dwelt in the temple. He tells them to rebuild it so he can take pleasure in it and be honored.
Now to the question at hand.
How can you put God first?
Answer: By rebuilding God’s temple, so he can take pleasure in it and be honored.
Question 2: What is God’s temple? Wasn’t that like 2,000 years ago?
Answer: YOU are God’s temple
Is that starting to make sense? So let’s ask the question again. How can you rebuild God’s temple?
Answer: If your body is a temple, you need to rebuild it by taking better care of it.
Are you having daily Bible times with God for your heart, soul, and mind? Are they meaningful Bible times? Do you have your Bible time before you start your day? That is, putting on your armour before battle? Or do you have your Bible time after your day has already begun? You can’t put your armour on in the middle of battle. That means you are not protecting yourself.
Also, are you looking your best, and steering clear from debauchery? This can come in many forms. Debauchery can be food, alcohol, grooming, anything that you are doing in excess. Are you treating your body like the temple of God? You should be because that is what it is.
Are you getting enough sleep? Are you eating properly? Are you getting exercise and drinking enough water? I know this sounds like a fitness pitch, and I don’t care, God put this on my heart to share and I love every one of you and want you to be on the right path and taking care of yourselves.
Last year I found out I was about 30 pounds overweight for my age. I honestly thought I was only about 5 pounds over and was shocked to know I was overweight. At the same time, an author named Gabriel Jackson reached out to me and offered me a free copy of his book on Intermittent Fasting in exchange for an honest review. (You can read that review HERE my other website) It turns out that when you fast, your body starts to eat all the damaged cells like the ones that cause cancer. It’s called autophagy. It is Greek for “eat thyself”. Autophagy can prevent cancer, diabetes, heart disease, muscle loss, and much more. You can find more information Here
You don’t have to fast, but please I implore you to take care of yourself, let’s rebuild God’s temple so he will be pleased and honored.
What have you been doing especially during the pandemic to take care of yourself? Are you taking care of yourself? Let me know some of the things you have been doing to rebuild God’s temple in the comments below.
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John 4:1-26
Jesus knew her heart. Jesus searches our heart and he knew the Samaritan woman’s heart. In those days the Jews didn’t associate with the Samaritans, and a Samaritan woman was lower than a Samaritan man, yet Jesus reached out to her, he engaged her and offered her living water.
During this time of being quarantined, have you been engaging with Jesus? Are you struggling with not being able to get out, or are you so comfortable with staying home that you are too much into yourself and not reaching out to others?
Jesus sees your daily struggles
Psalm 130:5-7
I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits,
and in his word I put my hope.
I wait for the Lord
more than watchmen wait for the morning,
more than watchmen wait for the morning.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord,
for with the Lord is unfailing love
and with him is full redemption.
Psalm 42:1-2
As the deer pants for streams of water,
so my soul pants for you, my God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?
Psalm 73:25-26
Whom have I in heaven but you?
And earth has nothing I desire besides you.
My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever.
Psalm 138:8
The Lord will vindicate me;
your love, Lord, endures forever—
do not abandon the works of your hands.
Psalm 37:4
Take delight in the Lord,
and he will give you the desires of your heart.
John 4:23
Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.
How is my worship? Would God be pleased with my worship if her were standing in front of me? I know he is always with me, but if he were talking to me what would he say about my worship?
John 4:27-42
Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”
Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people, “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” They came out of the town and made their way toward him.
Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”
But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”
Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”
“My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”
Many Samaritans Believe
Many of the Samaritans from that town believed in him because of the woman’s testimony, “He told me everything I ever did.” So when the Samaritans came to him, they urged him to stay with them, and he stayed two days. And because of his words many more became believers.
They said to the woman, “We no longer believe just because of what you said; now we have heard for ourselves, and we know that this man really is the Savior of the world.”
The Samaritan woman goes from being alone to bringing salvation to her town. We have good news and we should share it and trust that God’s word will not be empty.
Isaiah 55:11 So is my word that goes out from my mouth it will not return to me empty but will accomplish what I desire and achieve the purpose for which I sent it.
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He took time away from people to have time with God so he could be more spiritual.
Do you draw away to get close to God, to be spiritual so you can be of use to others?
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Stepping Into The Life 