There are a thousand and one things God wants to do to convert us from weaklings to champions. However, when we are separated from our Maker, He cannot do what He wants to do. What does He want to do? He wants to give us songs of triumph in the night when others are sorrowful and thinking through why they fail. He teaches us more than the beast of the earth and He makes us wiser than the fowls of heaven. This means that He wants to give us more than the strength of lion. He wants to teach us to be wiser than the eagles.
The only problem is the separation from God. There are some people who are fighting against the plans of God for their lives. Isaiah 45:9 warns: “Woe unto him that striveth with his maker.” They want to have their own way or direction; but God is saying that is not going to give you a good grade or success. The secret of success is not fighting against God’s plan for success, and the process of success. It is in agreeing with the Almighty God, yielding and looking up to Him.
This is what we find in Isaiah 45:11: “Thus saith the Lord, the Holy one of Israel, and his maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the works of my hands, command ye me.” What a great privilege we have in God! He wants us to recognize Him as our Maker. But you have to cooperate with your Maker, yield and surrender to Him so that He will do what He wants to do. Spend some time in His presence to ask of Him the things to come concerning His children, and the works of His hands. Jeremiah 3:3, 4 says: “Therefore the showers have been withholden, and there has been no latter rain: and thou hadst a whore’s forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed. Wilt thou not from this time cry unto me, My father, [maker, creator], thou art the guide of my youth.” When you come to the Lord and say: “I realize the showers of blessings have not been flowing or coming down, the latter rain that will make the planted seed to grow and to be harvested have not matured. Everything I lay my hand upon before it comes to the harvesting or success time, it withers away because of lack of the blessings of rain upon the seeds I’m sowing. Therefore, Lord I come, crying upon you at this time. My Father, thou art the guide of my youth. I’m coming back to you.”
When you turn to God, you will be reconciled with Him. In 2 Corinthians 5:20 says: “Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God.” What is the emphasis on reconciliation about? This is because you have been separated from the Lord by your sins. That is why when you pray for your desires He will not hear. But, He is saying, “Be reconciled to your God.” When you are reconciled to God, what does He do? He forgives you. All your sins that brought separation between you and God, that made him to say, “Ephraim wants to go his own way, let him alone. Ephraim has joined himself to idol and raised an idol on self, let him alone.” Because of the evils of Ephraim, God gave them up. But when you come to Him that you want to be reconciled to Him, the first thing He does is He forgives you.
Moreover, He fellowships with you. In that fellowship, He communes with you. You talk to Him, and He talks to you. You ask Him, and He answers you. You present your needs to Him, and He responds favourably to them.
Consequently, He frees you. He frees you from all the things that bind. Guilt and condemnation bind. Sin is like a great chain that binds a person down. “And ye shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.” When God fellowships with us, He frees us from the strong chains that bind.
Then, He favours us. The people who are favoured of God are those who are reconciled to Him. The next thing He does is He forms us. He forms us into what He wants us to be. Sequel to these, He fills us with good things. Only those that are reconciled to God are filled with good things by Him. “Blessed be the God of heaven that loadeth us with blessings daily and no good thing shall He withhold from them.”
As we consider these benefits next week, we shall be exposed to heavenly blessings exceeding our expectations in Jesus name.
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