MIX IN THE MIDST
Genesis 26

Seeing through the word of God in the midst of mixed up situations will set us up for God’s blessing. Isaac saw through the word of God when he demonstrated no evidence of complaints or frustration in all confronting situations that he encountered. When there was famine in Gerar, God appeared to Isaac to dwell in the land and not to run to Egypt. Genesis 26:6, So Isaac dwelt in Gerar. 7 And the men of the place asked about his wife, and he said, “She is my sister”; for he was afraid to say, “She is my wife,” because he thought, “lest the men of the place kill me for Rebekah, because she is beautiful to behold.” The land where God had him stay was becoming a challenge. After a while it was discovered by Abimelech, the King of Gerar, that Rebekah was Isaac’s wife. With the discovery, “So Abimelech charged all his people, saying, “He who touches this man or his wife shall surely be put to death.” _” (Genesis 26:11)  After being delivered by God through Abimelech charge, Isaac now entered into a season of sowing and reaping in hundred fold Prosperity became his portion. As a result of his blessing, “…Abimelech said to Isaac, “Go away from us, for you are much mightier than we.”(Genesis 26:16) Isaac did not have any choice, but to move forward. The Bible said, “Then Isaac departed from there and pitched his tent in the valley of Gerar, and dwelt there.” (Genesis 26:17)At his departure he encountered another challenge, but the word of God that asked him not to move could not fail. In Isaac’s new territory, twice they founded a running well, but he was not able to lay hold of his claim on the well because of the people of Gerar. Isaac and his servants finally found another well, “…Called its name Rehoboth, because he said, “For now the LORD has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.”(Genesis 26:22) In the mix of all of Isaac’s ups and downs the word of God could not be misplaced. When everything looks bad and like there no way, God repeatedly showed up. After he had been pushed from one ground to another, and from one well to another well, the hand of God was evident in his life. Abimelech eventually came for Isaac, “And Isaac said to them, “Why have you come to me, since you hate me and have sent me away from you?” 28 But they said, “We have certainly seen that the LORD is with you. So we said, ‘Let there now be an oath between us, between you and us; and let us make a covenant with you.” (Genesis 26:27-28) In the mix of all confrontations and challenges, hold on to the word of God, see through His word, and He will not fail in seeing you through.

NEED HELP?
Luke 9:12-17

This is how the Bible described Jesus Christ, the living Word of God, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was in the beginning with God. 3 All things were made through Him, and without Him nothing was made that was made.” (John 1:1-3) If these verses could be received with understanding, there would be knowledge that Jesus is everywhere all the time, and nothing is beyond His knowing. This also testifies that anyone that has accepted Him as Lord and Savior does not have anything to worry about, Have you truly accepted Him as your Lord and Savior? It is not just a mouthful declaration, but also a heartfelt confession. Have you been caught up on an unfamiliar ground or are you in a place, or situation, that can be considered wrong? With Jesus everywhere, with Him on your side or you turning to Him, your story will change for good. It does not matter how deep you are in a mess, or the cause of the mess   Jesus is the only one that can change your story from stagnation to motion; from mockery into miracle; last to first, lateness to earliness. Luke 9:12, “When the day began to wear away, the twelve came and said to Him, “Send the multitude away, that they may go into the surrounding towns and country, and lodge and get provisions; for we are in a deserted place here.” This is not different from your situation that has landed you in an unbearable situation. The difference from your case is that the multitudes were looking for the Word of God to touch them while; your reason was not of God. However, Jesus is everywhere, and if you will turn to Him, He will change you from the inside out and every other thing will not matter to you but Jesus. This is not to encourage a conscious or deliberate act of evil, but to encourage how God can move when we get ourselves caught up in a situation that does not glorify God or when end up in a deserted area of life. God is a merciful God and if we can look up to Him and ask for His forgiveness He will not look away from us. At the deserted time, at a time where there was no way to turn to or run from, with Jesus on ground and His intervention, “So they all ate and were filled, and twelve baskets of the leftover fragments were taken up by them.” (Luke 9:17) Believe or not, Jesus is the only one that will help without sorrow, turn to Him in your situation and He will return to you for your deliverance.

STRENGTH AND COURAGE
Joshua 1:1-9

After the death of Moses, the servant of the Lord, the Lord spoke to Joshua, “No man shall be able to stand before you all the days of your life; as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. I will not leave you nor forsake you.” (Joshua 1:5) Christians often quote this by personalizing it to themselves “The Lord will not live me nor forsake me”. Indeed and in truth, God will never leave His own, except if His own disown Him by living outside of His promise. It is a great blessing to have God on our side; however, God’s blessing is rooted in conditions that have to be met before the blessing manifests itself. It would not have happened for Joshua if he had failed to operate under the conditions that were laid down for the manifestation of the promise of God’s blessing not to leave him or forsake him. The sixth verse came with conditions that will make God not leave him or forsake him. Joshua 1:6, “Be strong and of good courage, for to this people you shall divide as an inheritance the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.” Without being strong and courageous, Joshua would not have been able to observe what the law requested him to. One can only be strong when the joy of the Lord is in place in one’s life. Nehemiah 8:10, “…For the joy of the LORD is your strength.” Having joy in the Lord is the evidence of fully trusting Him regardless of any confronting situation. Courage is to have no fear. Courage is to shut fear down and open up to faith. Faith is what provokes the move of God’s hand not to fear. God constantly reminded Joshua not to fear at every move that was made by Joshua. Joshua 10:8, “And the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not fear them…”” Joshua 11:6, “ But the Lord said to Joshua, “Do not be afraid because of them…” God wanted to have Joshua succeed and He was constantly reminding Joshua, because when fear is able to block out faith, faith will be shut down, and God is not pleased without faith. Joshua was able to succeed in the calling of his life because he was able to do all that the Lord had told him. With strength and courage, the grace to observe the word will lead to doing what the Lord had said. The word that He spoke to Joshua is also speaking to us to, “Only be strong and very courageous, that you may observe to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right hand or to the left, that you may prosper wherever you go.” (Joshua 1:7)

HOW DO YOU FOLLOW HIM?
Matthew 15:1-20

Have you actually denied yourself for the Lord’s service? Man can be deceived, but God see the heart and cannot be deceived. Is there anyway for you to hear it better so that you can understand and know that in serving Him, you have to follow Him? John 12:26, “If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me: and where I am, there my servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor.” That [verse] is clear enough for those that have a hearing ear. To serve the Lord, you have to follow Him. Ignorance is not an excuse. Ignorance will only make a destitute out of a believer. It will ridicule your journey if you fail to master what it takes to follow the Master. Some went to Him voluntarily and ended up with excuses. He called some, but they could not handle the weight of the cross. Being half obedient makes hypocrites out of those that come to the Lord, and they do not follow him to serve Him. Jesus identified hypocrites when he was debating the Scribes and the Pharisees in Matthew15: 7-9, “Hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy about you, saying: ‘These people draw near to Me with their mouth, and honor Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me, and in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.” Do you consider yourself a hypocrite? A hypocrite is a pretender. A hypocrite is one whose walk and talk do not match. A hypocrite is a person that acts it but does not practice it. If what you possess is not what you profess, you have failed in doing what you say, and you are a son of the wicked; in vain you worship Him. There is a need to serve God in deed and in truth. You cannot serve in deed and in truth, and live in wickedness. Do you sincerely desire to deny hypocrisy and wickednessin your life? Determination will fail because it is not by might or by power. By His grace, all you have to do is to observe the word of God. In your following there is no excuse; there is no distraction. When you follow Him, there has to be consistency. Consistency will build up to commitment, and then continuity will have its place. When you follow Him, you do not have to walk how others walk, you do not have to see like they see, and you do not have to hear what they hear. Keep focus on the leading Master.