One thing, we really need to understand:
Acts 17:26 (NIV: Original translation) HE (God) determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live.
God selects the exact times we will live in the place we are living right now.
Sometimes we might start to "murmur", thinking things like, "I don't know why I have to live in this period of time. I wish I could have lived in the 1930's. I wish I could have lived in England instead of USA."
By this scripture in Acts, we can settle ourselves and know that God chose when we would live and where we would live so that HE can accomplish HIS purpose in our lives.
I so clearly see how I need to live at this exact period of time although I don't like the manner of the people of this season, especially the women who want to take over and rule over their husbands and be "above" their husbands. I don't like the clothing most people wear today in TV productions. I don't like the immodesty displayed by this world and even by some in churches.
However, it is clear to me that "now" is the time I need to live because we have Internet to enable us to send messages by blog and podcast to the entire church world all over this earth.
Matthew 24:13 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
Each of us need to settle our thinking by Acts 17:26. God placed us to live at this exact point in time and at this exact place. And God moves us from place to place at each point in our lives on this earth as HE wills.
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God surprises us along the way.
Sometimes we need certain things and people that we do not even realize we need.
In 2019, God moved me from Texas to the home of Pam Padgett, a member of the body of Christ, in Colorado.
I am 83 years old. I lived most of my life in Texas. It is mostly flat and hot with lots of dirt and dust.
Now I live in Colorado at the foot of the very majestic Rocky Mountains where it is cool in summer and we can have the windows open and we have snow from time to time in the winter! We have very tall Ponderosa Pines in areas near us. It is very beautiful here! I love it.
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For the past two days, toward the end of the day, Pam Padgett and I have gone out in the new car to see the snow and the lights of the seasonal decorations in our neighborhoods. I have really enjoyed this.
I said to Pam, "I don't remember us going out last December to see the snow."
Pam thought about it and then replied, "Last year, we didn't have a car you could ride in without pain."
My car was 26 years old and the front seats were worn out. Pam's car was about 16 years old and I had a problem with the passenger seat in her car.
(I've had left hip broken twice and a rod placed in my left leg from hip to knee. There is usually pain, but some seats hurt more than others.)
I had considered having the seats in our old cars reupholstered.
In June, 2020, I was thinking about taking the cars to have new seats built in the front areas, when God spoke to me to give me an idea. It was the Holy Spirit bringing the following thought to my mind: "Or you could just buy a new car."
It was a very gentle thought, but to me ended up being like a lightening bolt hitting me, because it was an idea I had never before thought of doing!
My eyes were opened by God: "That's right!" I said. "I could buy new car."
The concepts sent to us by God are pure.
James 3:17 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
(It would be very easy to pay for a new car since we had just sold the house in Texas and all the money from that house was in our bank account in Colorado.)
As we try to reason out what to do, we are often limited by our own thinking until we hear a word from God by HIS Spirit such as this example.
But God knows what will be best for us and HE gives us all good things and HE knows the future.
Ephesians 3:20 Now unto HIM that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,
(The power that works in us is the power of the Holy Spirit who brings to our mind those things that will work well for us.)
God is a "sun" to show us what to do.
God is a "shield" to keep us from doing things that would harm us.
God delights in giving good things to us and in helping us.
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But persecution often comes for the Word's sake:
When we hear a Word from God and do that Word, often something will come to try to steal that Word and make us think it wasn't God speaking to us.
So in the midst of trouble after we do the Word, we must think on how we knew that Word was from God.
After we bought the new car, they delivered the car to us.
Immediately there was trouble.
* The car didn't ride well at all.
But when we reset the suspension to "comfort" it was better.
Then a friend told us new tires would change the ride. We made immediate change of tires.
Then the car rode very well.
* But the car was very noisy!
Even on low, the noise from the A/C was so bad we couldn't stand having it on. Winter would come soon and we would have to use the heater. Pam took the car back to the dealer and the service manager said the noise was "normal". We were very discouraged. Then Pam began adjusting various settings and hit a button and the noise disappeared! We've never heard it since so we are happy now.
* From time to time we would have a very bad "roaring" sound that filled the entire cabin and continued for several minutes. This noise was something we've never heard before and it shocked us when it came and it frightened us. We began praying concerning what to do. I had the idea to check on Internet to see if others had reported anything like this in their new cars. We discovered they have added a noise cancelling system to some of the new cars. If you have a custom sound system installed in your car, you need to turn this NCS off for it will try to cancel the sound coming from some of the musical instruments. We turned the NCS off and we've never heard that sound again.
* The car was very sluggish and seemed to have to strain just to go up a small incline. I've never had anything but V8 cars and this car is V6 so I thought we bought the wrong car! (Although I'm sure we both prayed before making our decision.)
Then an amazing thing happened. We'd only had the car for about 4 months and one morning it wouldn't start.
(This sounds bad but it turned to good, for it caused us to take the car back to the dealer again.)
Lights flashed on instrument panel when Pam tried to start car and then those lights went completely dark and there was no battery power at all.
After prayer, Pam thought of her insurance company. She has roadside assistance with them which she has never before needed to use since all of our old cars started.
Insurance company sent someone to jump start the car. But he couldn't make it start. The only thing we could do is have the car towed back to the dealer. Insurance sent tow truck.
The service manager called the next day and said the problem with the car was caused by the custom installation of the sound equipment which was draining the battery and that we would have to have the car towed to the person who installed the sound equipment and have that person fix the problem.
I was very upset over this and I did not believe the sound installation was the problem.
Pam called the sound people and the manager was happy to go get the car from the dealer and check the installation of the sound system and work through the problem with the dealer.
(This man was very nice and helped us in every possible way.)
There was no problem with the sound system installation so they returned the car to the dealer who then paid attention to the problem and talked with the car manufacturer to see what they should try to do!
All this time, 2 1/2 weeks, while dealer had the car, I was attacked by negative thoughts. We still had my old car and it worked and we used it. "Maybe we shouldn't have bought a car..." But I knew it was the Holy Spirit suggesting that we could just buy a new car! And God had even given me a dream showing me that I bought a car before we bought the car. Yes it was from God to buy the car.
Then the negative attack changed to this: "I bought the wrong car..." How could that happen? We test drove several cars and the car brand that we bought had the most comfortable seats even over Mercedes, Cadillac, and Lincoln. It drove well on the road up Cheyenne Canyon on curved mountain pass.
While dealer had the car for 2 1/2 weeks, we would go out and every car we met on the road was a problem for me: "Maybe we should have bought that car... Wonder what it drives like? Maybe we will have to change cars and take the financial loss. But we can't sell the car to an individual knowing it has these problems. It will have to be traded in to dealer and let them resolve the problem. And then there is the custom sound equipment which will have to be removed and installed in the next car. And we will lose all the custom insulation which had been added to this car. How could this happen? What are we going to do." All these are things I talked about with God.
During the time the dealer was trying to discover the problem for the "parasitic battery drainage", Pam mentioned to me that the car didn't have any power and she didn't like the car.
I knew the car seemed sluggish but I never drove the car since I no longer drive and I thought it was just because of the V6 motor and maybe the way Pam was driving which was slower than I used to drive when I drove a car.
Pam reported this motor problem to the dealer and even while she was on the telephone the service person checked and said it looked like the car needed a computer update which they would fix.
When the car was returned to us it was completely different. It had plenty of "pep". It has started every day since it was returned. Pam likes driving it.
Everything changed.
(We did have to take car back to dealer one more time because the electronic mirrors were failing to hold their setting. Dealer fixed this.)
Now we like the car.
So even if the plan is given to you by God, there can be things which cause trouble and you will have to work through the problems.
Hold fast to all the words and dreams that you have received from God and keep praying and go forward.
Satan comes to make you think you didn't do the correct thing after you have heard from God telling you what to do. Or Satan will try to make you think God didn't give you that instruction and make you doubt.
It is not unusual for Satan, or your own flesh, to begin to doubt, stealing that Word that God has given to you on the issue at hand.
Mark 4
15 And these are they by the way side, where the word is sown; but when they have heard, Satan cometh immediately, and taketh away the word that was sown in their hearts.
16 And these are they likewise which are sown on stony ground; who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness; 17 And have no root in themselves, and so endure but for a time: afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended.
18 And these are they which are sown among thorns; such as hear the word, 19 And the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.
20 And these are they which are sown on good ground; such as hear the word, and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some an hundred.
When we hold fast to that which we have heard from God, and continue in prayer if there is a problem, and work through everything in prayer doing what we believe God shows us to do, in the end we will receive the blessing that God intended for us in the matter as God directed us.
Consider this example: God told the children of Israel to flee from Egypt. God told them exactly where they were to camp beside the Red Sea. They seemed trapped by the sea at the back and Pharaoh coming straight toward them with 600 chariots! "How can we be trapped in this position? We did everything God told us to do."
God had HIS plan and used this to bring about the destruction of Pharaoh and the enemies while HE gave the children of Israel opportunity to see HIS power which HE worked in their behalf!
And remember how Jacob wrestled with the angel and refused to turn loose until the angel blessed him? Jacob held on and didn't let go!
Many times since I've been a Christian, God has told me to do something and it looked like I would be destroyed as I did that Word that I heard from God ... but I was not destroyed!
So we learn to trust God to work out the problem one way or another.
Hold fast to God's word that HE has given you and continue to pray to God. We receive the blessing if we hold on and don't turn loose!
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