The Lord YOUR God!

The Lord YOUR God!

By Pastor Nate

As I was reading the Word the other day I came across this verse:

Numbers 15:41 “I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt to be your God. I am the LORD your God.’”

I don’t know about you but I have heard the phrase “The Lord your God” so many times growing up.  I mean He says it three times in this one verse alone!

I remember hearing it in Sunday School when listening to the story about the Red Sea and when being taught the Ten commandments (Thou shalt love “the Lord your God”).

It seems this phrase is found, said, and heard so much that it is easy to overlook what “The Lord YOUR God” means!  Can you believe it? God is saying, “I’m their God!”  He is proud and boldly stating His desire to be the object of your affection!

Let me give you an example that may help you get what He is saying:

Do you remember when you were younger and there was “that one” boy or girl that everyone wanted to be friends with? Whoever was lucky enough to be “their friend” made sure that everyone else knew it! This is what God is saying! “I am THEIR God!” Its as if God is saying: “I’m in love, I’m in love and I don’t care who knows it!”

So the next time you come to God, no matter what the need, remember:

1.  He’s proud of you.

2.  There is nothing He won’t do For His special possession.

3.  Ask BIG! Because His love for you is even bigger!

1 Peter 2:9 “But you are…..God’s very own possession.  As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for He called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light.”

Let It Go

Let It Go

Do you ever feel like you are drowning? I don’t mean physically, I mean mentally, emotionally and sometimes even spiritually. There is always so much to do and so much to get done. How do I fulfill my role as a wife, mother, employee, leader, Christian, friend, daughter, and the list could go on.

That’s the thing, I can’t. In my own strength and in my own ability I will never be able to do everything that’s in front of me on a daily basis. God didn’t create me to carry it in my own strength.

I have to let go of everything and surrender it all to The Lord. But what if something falls? Let it go. What if something doesn’t get done? Let it go. But what if my life falls apart? Let it go. Hmmmm, I sense a song coming out of this….

1 Peter 5:7

Casting the whole of your care [all your anxieties, all your worries, all your concerns, once and for all] on Him, for He cares for you affectionately and cares about you watchfully.

Psalm 55:22

Cast your burden on the Lord [releasing the weight of it] and He will sustain you; He will never allow the [consistently] righteous to be moved (made to slip, fall, or fail).

We were not meant to carry the weight or burden of the things we care about and the people we care for. The Lord didn’t create us to do that. We are to throw those cares onto The Lord. He said that He will not allow you to be moved. He won’t allow you to slip or even fail! That’s good news! When we know that He cares for us and He will not let us fail, we can cast all of our cares on Him. Knowing that He will take care of them, He will give us direction, He will make sure that our life doesn’t fall apart and that we will succeed!

I encourage you to look at the things you’ve been caring about and trying so hard to make work. Give those things to the Lord, surrender your WHOLE life to Him! He cares so much for you and will not let you fall! He can take care of those things far better than we can!

Get Real

Get Real

Have you ever noticed how fake we can be towards God sometimes?  How we tend to shy away and hide when missing the mark instead of being honest and open before Him?  I suppose it’s human nature since it started back in the Garden of Eden, but I’m beginning to wonder why we still waste our time hiding our short-comings from a God who chooses to view us  through His perfect Son.  God’s not interested in your shortcomings that would endeavor to keep you from Him, He’s only interested in you coming to Him!

When Adam and Eve sinned in the garden, what ensued were some of the saddest words in all of Scripture.  Check out Genesis 3:8-11 “The Message.”

8 When they heard the sound of God strolling in the garden in the evening breeze, the Man and his Wife hid in the trees of the garden, hid from God. 9 God called to the Man: “Where are you?” 10 He said, “I heard you in the garden and I was afraid because I was naked. And I hid.” 11 God said, “Who told you you were naked? Did you eat from that tree I told you not to eat from?”

Adam hid because he was ashamed and naked, but God’s response was, “Who told you that you were naked?”  Adam, who told you that you should be ashamed?  Who have you been listening to?  You think God didn’t already know the answers to what He was asking?  You think He couldn’t have come down right where Adam and Eve were and ask them why they took the fruit?  Of course He could have!  But their free will was in play and God wanted to give them every opportunity to simply come to Him.

When God made a decision to forgive our past, present, and future sins, through Jesus; He made the decision for us easy.  Get real, keep it real, and always come to Him.  No more hiding, no more being fake, only open and honest before a Savior who risked it all for us to simply COME TO HIM.  Get real today and tell someone else to get real, too!