IN THE DESERT

I've fallen on bad times. Where is God leading me?

Gods' Response
I will win her back once again. I will lead her into the desert and speak tenderly to her there. I will return her vineyards to her and transform the Valley of Trouble into a gateway of hope.
Hosea 2:14-15

Our Takeaway
Hosea 3-5 tells the story of the prophet and his wife, Goer, who was repeatedly unfaithful to him. But Hosea's experience is also the illustration of a much larger story: God's dealing with unfaithful Israel. In the verses above, God was promising (1) to bring the Israelites to the desert, a place free of distractions, so he could clearly communicate with them and (2) to change what had been a time of pain and difficulty into a day of hope. God sometimes uses negative experiences in our lives as "desert journeys" to turn our attention to Him alone.

As we face problems and trials, remember that God speaks tenderly to us in the "desert". Listen for Him, and have faith that through your desert journey, God will bring you to a gateway of hope.

God's Promise:
Be truly glad. There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.
1 Peter 1:16

LOVE

What does true love look like?

God's Response
Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstances.
I Corinthians 13:4-7

Our Takeaway
Our society confuses love and lust. Unlike lust, God's kind of love is directed outward toward others, not inward toward ourselves. Because His kind of love (Agape), is utterly unselfish, expressing it goes against our natural inclinations. It is impossible to have this love unless God helps us set aside our own natural desires so that we can love others without expecting anything in return. The more we become like Christ, the better we can truly love others.

God's Promise
If we love each other, God lives in us, and His love is brought to full expression in us.
I John 4:12

PRAYER

PRAYER

God Seems very far way. Should I even keep trying to reach Him?

God's Response
O Lord, why do you stand so far away? Why do you hide when I am in trouble?
Psalm 10:1

I keep praying to you, Lord, hoping this time you will show me favor. In your unfailing love, O God, answer my prayer with your sure salvation.
Psalm 69:13

Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.
Romans 12:12


Our Takeaway
"Why do you hide when I am in trouble?" To the psalmist, God seemed far away. But even though the writer had honest doubts, he did not stop praying or conclude that God no longer cared. He was not complaining, but he was asking God to please hurry to his aid. It is during the times when we feel most alone or oppressed that we need to keep praying, sharing with God our troubles, and waiting for him to respond.


God's Promise
[Jesus said,] "I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for, Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone that seeks, finds. And everyone who knocks, the door will be opened."
Luke 11:9-10

PROBLEMS

How can I possibly solve my problems when they're so overwhelming?

God's Response
As [David] was talking with them, Goliath, the Philistine champion from Gath, came out from the Philistine ranks. Then David heard him shout his usual taunt to the army of Israel. As soon as the Israelite army saw him, they began to run away in fright. "Have you seen the giant?" the men asked. . . . David asked the soldiers standing nearby, "What will a man get for killing this Philistine and ending his defiance of Israel? Who is this pagan Philistine anyway, that he is allowed to defy the armies of the living God?"
I Samuel 17:23-26

[Jesus said to Peter,] "You are seeing things merely from a human point of view, not from God's."
Matthew 16:23

Our Takeaway
What a difference perspective can make. Most of the onlookers in Saul's army saw a giant. David, however, saw a mortal man defying an almighty God. He knew he would not be alone when he faced Goliath; God would fight with him. As David looked to God, his perspective broadened. Viewing impossible situations through the lens of God's possibilities and power helps us to put giant problems into perspective. Once we see clearly, we can fight more effectively.

God's Promise
All this may seem impossible to you now. . . . But is it impossible for me? Says the Lord of Heaven's Armies.
Zechariah 8:6

VALUES

How can I tell if I genuinely value what God Values?

God's Response
Do not love this world nor the things it offers you, for when you love the world, you do not have the love of the Father in you. For the world offers only a craving for physical pleasure, a craving for everything we see, and pride in our achievements and possessions. These are not from the Father, but are from this world.
I John 2:15-16

Levi invited Jesus and His disciples to his home as dinner guests, along with many tax collectors and other disreputable sinners. (There were many people of this kind among Jesus' followers.) But when the teachers of religious law who were Pharisees saw Him eating with tax collectors and other sinners, they asked His disciples, "Why does He eat with such scum?"
Mark 2:15-16

Our Takeaway
Like the Pharisees, we can give the impression of avoiding worldly pleasures and still harbor worldly attitudes in our hearts. It is also possible, like Jesus, to love sinners and spend time with them while maintaining a commitment to the values of God's Kingdom. God values self-controls, a spirit of generosity, and a commitment to humble service. What values are most important to you? Do your actions reflect the world's values or Gods' values?

God's Promise
Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.
Matthew 6:33

SEDUCTION

How can I avoid giving in to the enticement of sin?

God's Response
Wisdom will save you from the immoral woman, from the seductive words of the promiscuous woman. She has abandoned her husband and ignores the covenant she made before God.
Proverbs 2:16-17

[Jesus said,] "It is what comes from inside that defiles you. For from within, out of a person's heart, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality... lustful desires... pride, and foolishness."
Mark 7:20-22

Take control of what I say, O Lord, and guard my lips. Don't let me drift toward evil or take part in acts of wickedness. Don't let me share in the delicacies of those who do wrong.
Psalm 141:3-4

Our Takeaway
Two of the most difficult sins to resist are pride and sexual immorality. Both are seductive, Pride says, "I deserve it"; sexual desire says, "I need it." Pride appeals to the empty head; sexual enticement to the empty heart. To overcome these temptations, you need to fill your head with God's wisdom and your heart with love for Him. Then ask Him for strength to resist these temptations.

God's Promise
[God] gives us even more grace to stand against such evil desires. As the Scriptures say, "God opposes the proud but favors the humble." So humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:6-7

GOD'S LOVE

Can I experience God's love every day?

God's Response
May you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that come from God.
Ephesians 3:18-19

Our Takeaway
God's love is so great, says Paul, that we can never fully understand it. It reaches every corner of our lives. It is wide - it covers the breadth of our experience and reaches out to the whole world. God's love is long - it continues the length of our lives and for all eternity. It is high - it rises to the heights of our celebration and elation. It is deep - it reaches the depths of discouragement, despair and even death. No matter what each day brings, you can never be lost to God's love.
John 16:33

God's Promise
I am convinced that nothing can ever separate us from God's love. Neither death not life, neither angels nor demons, neither our fears for today nor our worries about tomorrow - not even the powers of hell can separate us from God's love. No power in the sky above or in the earth below - indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Romans 8:38-39