2 Peter 3:9
Don’t get confused today with the assumption that since God hasn’t answered as rapidly as you had liked that He will not answer at all… Understand today that the enemy is busy; the best way for Him to deceive the Christian is by consuming their minds with thoughts that God has forgotten about us… You might even be in a situation right now where things don’t appear to be going as you planned and it seems as though your prayers are going unanswered; if this is you today, be encouraged to know that God is working in and through you to touch others and exalt you through your storm… This is why Peter says that we endure longsuffering; simply because God is not willing that any should perish… The storm you are going through will water the seed that has already been planted in you and cultivate the hearts of all that watch your perseverance foundationally set upon your faith… Long story short, God hasn’t forgotten about you; He’s simply using you for His glory… See, God knows His promises to you, He knows what He has said and will not withhold what He has promised to those who walk within His will! Often times we confuse longsuffering with an unfulfilled promise… In the verse that precedes this one we are told not to forget time as it appears to the Lord… The 8th verse of this chapter says, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” This is vital to remember when you feel like a promise hasn’t been meet or that the Lord isn’t by your side… God desires that all mankind would come to know Him, because of this, He has prolonged the coming of His kingdom to allow every man, woman, boy and girl to come to know Him and the love that He possesses and has dispensed upon mankind… The word of God must travel to the world so that men and women have the opportunity to experience His love, grace and mercy… One of my uncle’s was in the Army and he often recalls stories of his tours of duty in Vietnam and Desert Storm…
He recalls how in the early 90’s he was informed by the commander that the particular place they would be going didn’t allow bible’s… This struck my uncle as he had no choice but to leave his bible behind, by the grace of God he was brought back home safely and now evangelism has spread to those regions… The point of that story is to show that God’s word is moving, you may not see it right now, but it isn’t coming back void and when it accomplishes what is was sent out to do you will see the promises that God made with you and to you being fulfilled before you… We each have a purpose in this life and the ultimate goal of God is that everyone may come to know His name… God knows the promises that He has made, He knows the covenants that He has established with you and will hold up His end of the bargain… God is a loving God and His love goes beyond you and me, He loves the sinner, He loves the wrong-path human, and desires that they come to Him and that He may include their sin in His death on the cross (it probably wasn’t that long ago that you were that sinner and wrong-path person)… Numbers 23:19 says, “God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill?” This question is posed because we should have full confidence (regardless the situation) that God is with us and will fulfill His promises… The evidence of His promises being fulfilled is that He has sent the comforter (Holy Spirit) to dwell with us… Evidence of His promises is that we have all been freed from sin by the bloodshed of His son… We have all been given a clean slate; however, God knows that there are some that are carrying unnecessary baggage; there are some that don’t understand who Christ is and what He has done! These are the people that Christ wants to reach and He is using us to fulfill that desire…
Understanding that God is not slack in His promises as men count slackness, teaches us that we must handle situations in storms with a since of admiration and reverence for God… Today’s scripture informs us that trials will come, promises may seem bland at times, but Peter reminds us that we have a bigger cause ahead! Every trial that you face may not necessarily be for your maturity, it could be that the storm that hovers over your life is to show your faith and for God’s faithfulness to be displayed so that someone close to you will come to know Him and accept Him as their personal Lord and Savior… Your hardships don’t show that God isn’t around; they show that He is performing a mighty work in and through you… Don’t think God is slack when things don’t go as you had planned, don’t think God is slack when the enemy seems to be winning… Trust God, and know that He has a timetable in place that was set before you were formed in your mother’s womb… Peter reminds us that we should not be focused on what Christ can do for us, but the multitude of people that we can touch for Christ… If you want your blessings to shower down on you, if you want to hear God say,“Well Done”, if you want to see pain and agony cease; step up and walk in the will of God! In short, bear witness to everyone you come in contact with knowing that Christ desires for all to know Him and you have a message to deliver through the rugged hills and valley’s that God has ordained for you!
ALL FOR HIS GLORY!
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