Read Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith Online
Authors: John Osteen
Becoming a Man of Unwavering Faith (15 page)
OD
H
AS A
P
LACE
C
ALLED
T
HERE
FOR
Y
OU
We are living in a world filled with trouble, stress, and chaos. No doubt our days are similar to those we read about regarding the prophet Elijah whom we’ve studied extensively in this book. In 1 Kings 17, Elijah represents the man of faith who stood strong for God during a period of drought, great distress, and spiritual and social upheaval. It was of utmost importance that Elijah
listen
to God and do
exactly
what God told him to do. Our responsibility today is to tune our spirits to the Holy
Spirit, to listen to God, to do what He tells us to do, and go where He tells us to go. When we do these things, our needs will be supplied, and we will be safe!
Elijah drew aside from his daily routine and prayed. He sought God. It is important to get in touch with God, to hear from God. We need to get away from people. There is a time we need to draw away. People will confuse you and discourage you. They will talk about other people. They will drag your faith down many times. As Elijah did, sometimes you just have to get alone and climb the hill of God, above the fog and smog of this world. Wrap your fingers in the garments of God and say, “My Father, my Father, I will not let You go until You bless me!” We must seek God diligently and follow His direction for our lives.
Elijah heard the voice of God. “Then the word of the L
ORD
came to him, saying…” (1 Kings 17:2–4). Now God told him where to go and what to do. He said, “Get away from here and turn eastward, and hide by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. And it will be that you shall drink from the brook, and I have commanded the ravens to feed you
there
.”
God can tell you where to go. He has a
place
called
there
for you. That place called
there
is where God said, “I have commanded the ravens to feed you.” If you are
not in that place called
there
, you will be missing out on the fullness of God’s blessing in your life.
Wrap yourself up in your devotion to Him. Make Him first in your life, and go where He directs you.
In my own life, God sent me back to pastor Lakewood Church from the Philippine Islands in 1969. At that time, I did not want to come because I had been traveling all over the world preaching the Gospel. But you see, Lakewood Church was my place called
there
. If I had said, “No, I’m not going to go,” I would have been in a mess, because this is where He called me to follow Him.
I believe there is a place called
there
for every believer. That does not mean there will never be battles to fight. That does not mean you are not going to face some tests and trials. But when you are in your
there
, you can enter into God’s peace and rest. When you are in the place called
there
, the ravens will come and there will be ample provision and blessing.
Major on loving Jesus. Wrap yourself up in your devotion to Him. Make Him
first in your life, and go where He directs you. Go to that place called
there
, and He can provide for your every need as He directs! God has unlimited resources for you.
EEP
F
OLLOWING
J
ESUS
Just because God sends you to one place does not mean you are going to stay there forever. Regarding Elijah, he “went and did according to the word of the L
ORD
, for he went and stayed by the Brook Cherith, which flows into the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning, and bread and meat in the evening; and he drank from the brook. And it happened after a while that the brook dried up, because there had been no rain in the land” (vv. 5–7).
There are times when God wants you to move on. Do not try to stay when your brook dries up.
God is not going to do everything in the same way throughout your life.
If your brook dries up and just suddenly everything goes wrong, examine yourself. Go before God and say, “God, are You through with me here? Are You trying to tell me something?”
God had a new
there
for Elijah. “Then the word of the L
ORD
came to him, saying, “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell
there
” (vv. 8–9). On this occasion, in the midst of the great calamity of that
day, God used a widow to provide miraculously for Elijah, and throughout the time of famine God provided for every need. If you are in the place called
there
, where Jesus has sent you, He will sustain you.
Seek God. Know with assurance that you are in that place called
there
. God will then cause your every need to be met, and you will blossom into the fullness of your potential as a man of unwavering faith.
AKE
T
HIS
Y
OUR
P
RAYER
“Father, in Jesus’ Name I seek Your divine guidance for my life. I thank You that Jesus lives in me, and the Bible says that He is made to me wisdom. You told me that if I lack wisdom, I should ask You, and You would supply me with all wisdom for every situation liberally. As I now ask You, I thank You, Father, that from this time forward You are supplying me with the wisdom that I need.
“I am Your sheep, and I do hear Your voice, and no other voice will I follow. I trust in You, Lord, with all my heart, and I do not lean on my own understanding. I acknowledge You in all my ways, and I know that You are directing my path. I follow the way of peace, for Jesus, the Prince of Peace, lives within me.
“Your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto
my path. As I read and meditate on Your Word, You will speak to me. I thank You, Father, that the Holy Spirit lives within me and He will guide me into all Truth. He will not guide me into error, but only into truth and good. My spirit does bear witness with the Holy Spirit, confirming the will of God for my life.
“I take a stand against confusion or frustration, and I boldly declare that I will rest in Your love. I commit myself to follow You wherever You lead, Jesus. Thank You, Lord, for keeping me in Your perfect way! Amen.”
F
AITH HAS TO DO WITH A LIVING
P
ERSON
,the Lord Jesus Christ.
JOEL
Y
ou may have received a bad report from the doctor. Maybe you lost your largest client at work. Perhaps you just found out that your child is in trouble. You may be facing some other serious setback, and you feel as though life has caved in on top of you, knocking you off your feet and pushing you into the pits. You may be in a situation today where you have done your best. You’ve prayed and believed. You’ve placed your faith firmly on the truth of God’s Word. But it just doesn’t look like anything good is happening. Now you’re tempted to say, “What’s the use? It’s never going to change.”
Don’t give up! Keep standing. Keep praying; keep believing; keep hoping in faith. “Seek the L
ORD
and His strength; seek His face evermore!” (Psalm 105:4).
1. A Man of Faith Can Change His Destiny
2. A Man of Faith Believes the Word of God
3. A Man of Faith Sees and Hears What the World Cannot See and Hear
4. A Man of Faith Prays Earnestly Even Though He Has Heard the Answer
5. A Man of Faith Is Strong When There Is No Evidence of the Answer
6. A Man of Faith Never Gives Up!
7. A Man of Faith Goes On When There’s Just a Little Evidence
8. A Man of Faith Believes for the Big When He Sees the Little
9. A Man of Faith Begins With Nothing but Ends Up Doing Mighty Things
10. Faith for Our Families and Friends
11. The Message God Entrusts to Men of Faith
12. What to Do When Nothing Seems to Work
13. Jesus, the Author and Finisher of Our Faith
Copyright © 2011 by Dodie Osteen
Commentary and Foreword © 2011 by Joel Osteen
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in review.
Unless otherwise indicated, Scriptures are taken from the
New King James Version.
Copyright © 1979, 1980, 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc., Publishers.
Scriptures noted
NIV
are taken from the
Holy Bible: New International Version®
. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. All rights reserved.
Scriptures noted
AMP
are taken from the
Amplified
®
Bible.
Copyright © 1954, 1962, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.
Scriptures noted
NLT
are taken from
Holy Bible. New Living Translation
copyright© 1996, 2004 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois 60189.
Scriptures noted T
HE
M
ESSAGE
are from
The Message
. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group.
Literary development and design: Koechel Peterson & Assoc., Inc., Mpls., MN
FaithWords
Hachette Book Group
237 Park Avenue
New York, NY 10017
Visit our website at
www.HachetteBookGroup.com
The FaithWords name and logo are trademarks of Hachette Book Group, USA.
First eBook Edition: August 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4555-1251-5
