HOW CAN I SEE THE HAND OF GOD MOVING IN MY LIFE?

Several Scriptures describe the hand of God moving and guiding people (1 Samuel 5:11;2 Chronicles 30:12;Job 19:21;27:11;Ecclesiastes 2:24;9:1). These passages do not mean that God literally has a hand. The Bible declares that God is spirit (John 4:24), that He does not, in His essence, have a physical form. However, this does not mean that God is incapable of taking on a physical form; numerous times in Scripture God does take a physical form. The hand of God is not speaking of a literal body part. Rather, just as a father lovingly guides and patiently disciplines a child with his hand, so are we guided by the hand of God.

The moving of the hand of God seems to be one area in which the saying “hindsight is 20/20” is particularly true. Often when we are going through a difficult or confusing time, we are unaware of how God is guiding us. Years later it becomes very clear why God brought us through that experience the way He did. Looking back, the hand of God can be clearly seen moving, guiding, protecting, etc. A time of trial is rarely enjoyable. At the same time, there are many instances where a trial or struggle is looked upon as the most meaningful spiritual time in a person’s life. This is why James exhorts us to “consider it pure joy” (James 1:2) when we encounter various trials, because they are immensely valuable to our spiritual lives.

How can we better recognize the hand of God moving in our lives? First, we must familiarize ourselves with God’s Word (2 Timothy 3:16-17), which tells us about who God is and what He does. Similar to how an instruction manual helps us to understand a particular device, so reading God’s Word helps us to understand how God works and how we should respond to Him. Second, we must communicate with God through prayer. We can ask God for wisdom (James 1:5). We can ask God to help us recognize, and submit to, His hand. We can thank Him for how His hand has guided us. We can ask Him to help us learn His lesson, in His time, for whatever time His hand is bringing us through.

Third, we must trust God. Just as a son often rebels against the guidance of his father—not trusting his judgment or not accepting his discipline—so do we often fight against the hand of God: "Why did You allow this? Why must I do that? Is there not another way?" While it is not wrong to ask these questions in a spirit of humility, it is wrong to doubt God’s goodness or the quality of His plan. Many times in our lives, we make an ordeal worse by not trusting and obeying God and by not quickly learning the intended lesson.

The hand of God is a symbol of God’s guidance, instruction, and discipline. The more we recognize the hand of God, the better we will be able to follow His lead. Through the study of God’s Word, a strong prayer life, and an abiding trust in God, we can learn to recognize, trust, and enjoy the hand of God moving in our lives.

WHAT DID JESUS MEAN WHEN HE SAID, "TAKE UP YOUR CROSS AND FOLLOW ME" (MATTHEW 16:24; MARK 8:34; LUKE 9:23)?

Let’s begin with what Jesus didn’t mean. Many people interpret “cross” as some burden they must carry in their lives: a strained relationship, a thankless job, a physical illness. With self-pitying pride, they say, “That’s my cross I have to carry.” Such an interpretation is not what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

When Jesus carried His cross up Golgotha to be crucified, no one was thinking of the cross as symbolic of a burden to carry. To a person in the first-century, the cross meant one thing and one thing only: death by the most painful and humiliating means human beings could develop.

Two thousand years later, Christians view the cross as a cherished symbol of atonement, forgiveness, grace, and love. But in Jesus’ day, the cross represented nothing but torturous death. Because the Romans forced convicted criminals to carry their own crosses to the place of crucifixion, bearing a cross meant carrying their own execution device while facing ridicule along the way to death.

Therefore, “Take up your cross and follow Me” means being willing to die in order to follow Jesus. This is called “dying to self.” It’s a call to absolute surrender. After each time Jesus commanded cross bearing, He said, “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it. What good is it for a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit his very self?” (Luke 9:24-25). Although the call is tough, the reward is matchless.

Wherever Jesus went, He drew crowds. Although these multitudes often followed Him as Messiah, their view of who the Messiah really was—and what He would do—was distorted. They thought the Christ would usher in the restored kingdom. They believed He would free them from the oppressive rule of their Roman occupiers. Even Christ’s own inner circle of disciples thought the kingdom was coming soon (Luke 19:11). When Jesus began teaching that He was going to die at the hands of the Jewish leaders and their Gentile overlords (Luke 9:22), His popularity sank. Many of the shocked followers rejected Him. Truly, they were not able to put to death their own ideas, plans, and desires, and exchange them for His.

Following Jesus is easy when life runs smoothly; our true commitment to Him is revealed during trials. Jesus assured us that trials will come to His followers (John 16:33). Discipleship demands sacrifice, and Jesus never hid that cost.

InLuke 9:57-62, three people seemed willing to follow Jesus. When Jesus questioned them further, their commitment was half-hearted at best. They failed to count the cost of following Him. None was willing to take up his cross and crucify upon it his own interests.

Therefore, Jesus appeared to dissuade them. How different from the typical Gospel presentation! How many people would respond to an altar call that went, “Come follow Jesus, and you may face the loss of friends, family, reputation, career, and possibly even your life”? The number of false converts would likely decrease! Such a call is what Jesus meant when He said, “Take up your cross and follow Me.”

If you wonder if you are ready to take up your cross, consider these questions:

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing some of your closest friends?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means alienation from your family?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means the loss of your reputation?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your job?

• Are you willing to follow Jesus if it means losing your life?

In some places of the world, these consequences are reality. But notice the questions are phrased, “Are you willing?” Following Jesus doesn’t necessarily mean all these things will happen to you, but are you willing to take up your cross? If there comes a point in your life where you are faced with a choice—Jesus or the comforts of this life—which will you choose?

Commitment to Christ means taking up your cross daily, giving up your hopes, dreams, possessions, even your very life if need be for the cause of Christ. Only if you willingly take up your cross may you be called His disciple (Luke 14:27). The reward is worth the price. Jesus followed His call of death to self (“Take up your cross and follow Me”) with the gift of life in Christ: “For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it” (Matthew 16:25-26).

WHY SHOULD I TALK ABOUT MY FAITH IN THE WORKPLACE?

As followers of Christ, there are many reasons why we should be eager to share our faith in all circumstances. However, in the case of our workplace there is one other consideration. As employees, we have made a commitment to yield to our employer the full benefit of our services for a given amount of time. To be a good Christian witness we must first follow through with this commitment. Evangelistic efforts should not interfere with the duties we committed to fulfill (1 Thessalonians 5:12-14). If they do, then our actions will betray our words and the credibility of our witness is lost. So, we should be eager to be the best workers our employers have (Colossians 3:23). This will lend some authority to our words later when we do share our faith.

Among the many reasons to share our faith are three imperatives:

1) Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ commands it. During His last moments on earth with His disciples, Christ could have said anything. What He chose to tell them was that they were to go with His blessing and power to preach the Gospel so that others could come to know the saving power and blessed relationship with Jesus Christ (Matthew 28:18-20).

2) Duty demands it. If we have been redeemed by Christ, then we have been given something that is not our own. Without God’s grace we would be lost for all eternity. Chances are most of us came to faith and salvation because someone shared with us; how can we then not do the same for others? Jesus said that as we have freely received, we should freely give (Matthew 10:8). We have been entrusted by God to be His messengers to the lost (Acts 1:8;1 Thessalonians 2:4).

3) Gratitude prompts it. An attitude of heartfelt gratitude is one of the many things that mark a true believer in Jesus Christ. The more we honestly examine the depravity of our own hearts, the more we recognize how great is the forgiveness that was and is extended to us, and the more we are thankful to God for redeeming us. This thankfulness expresses itself in giving Him credit for what He has done for us—that which we could not do for ourselves. The best way we can thank God is to give Him all the glory for what He has done for us and tell others of His great love and mercy.

How do we go about sharing our faith in the workplace? First, there is the “quiet” testimony—the one that speaks volumes with no words at all. It involves being a loyal and faithful employee, not bad-mouthing our employers or our co-workers. No one works with a perfect boss or perfect colleagues, but if we work with the attitude outlined inColossians 3:23, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men,” we will bring honor to God by doing all things for Him, the only truly perfect Boss. When we are working for the Lord, our ability to handle on-the-job stress and treat others with kindness and patience will make us stand out among our co-workers. When others notice our attitudes, they will invariably comment on it, giving us the opportunity to explain whom we really serve and how He has impacted our lives. In other words, sometimes we need to “walk the walk” in order to get the opportunity to “talk the talk.”

When the doors do open to share our faith, we must "always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect" (1 Peter 3:15). This means being diligent about our Bible study in preparation for those open doors. If we “let the Word of God dwell in [us] richly in all wisdom” (Colossians 3:16), we will always be ready. Finally, pray for God to open up opportunities to share Christ with others—those “divine appointments” with people whose hearts have been prepared by God to receive His truth from us.

UNDERSTAND FORGIVENESS

As I have already explained there are fundamental principles with forgiveness that it is important that we understand, if we are to forgive. There is not the time or space to deal with these in any great depth nor do I claim this work is complete, however I hope that it will convey a working knowledge.

What does "to forgive" mean? Vines Dictionary says "to send forth, send away, to remit or forgive a debt or sin" and again "to bestow a favour unconditionally, is used of the act of forgiveness whether divine or human" and again " denotes a dismissal, release, it is used of the remission of sins". Well then, when we forgive we send away, loose or release the 'sin' that is or can harm the relationship. The punishment or penalty is remitted, that is cancelled in the act of forgiveness, this is not just the debt of the sinner but also the penalty of unforgiveness. This is why forgiving people is healthy and health giving. Let us look at the principles that we help us understand forgiveness.

1. God is God we are not! We often judge ourselves more harshly than we should, yes our aim is to be like Jesus (i.e. perfect) but in my experience I have met no one who remotely matches up to him. We may well want to forgive people but we need God's help to do it. In fact, just as we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). We can forgive because we have been forgiven. The Gospel of Matthew (7:21-35) tells the story of a man who could not forgive even though he had been forgiven a great debt. The consequences were enormous for the man, the result was prison and torture. Without God's forgiveness we cannot easily forgive and can remain in a "stuck place" torturing ourselves with resentments and hatreds..
2. Forgiveness is a fact! God's forgiveness is a fact received by faith that affects our feelings. Our forgiveness is also a fact, it happened in a point of time, when we forgave and spoke out our forgiveness (speaking out our forgiveness is important whether in prayer or over the person concerned). When our feelings point us back to the hurt or transgression against us, we must allow, even encourage, our faith to point to the fact that we forgave (released away from us) at that time past.
3. Forgiveness is not forgetfulness! Forgiveness is often portrayed as forgetfulness in Christian circles but it is not. A friend had a bad cut on his hand that would not heal, we found that he was continually re-opening the wound so as not to forget. However had he allowed the wound to heal immediately he would still have a scar to remind him of the wound. The emotional or actual wound may be as small as some slight, like not being greeted at church, or as damaging as rape or abuse. As we forgive a healing takes place but the scar or memory is still there but now it does not hurt or restrict. Time is a great healer it is often said, however the healing of time can leave a scar that restricts our freedom and anyway if I broke my leg I wouldn't sit around waiting for it to heal. As forgiven people we have the power to be pro-active in our healing process.
4. Forgiveness is not licence! As Christians we must learn to love (agape) the sinner but hate the sin. When a person continues in their sin we must still love (agape) them but hate the sin. Agape a biblical greek word for love is described by William Barclay as "unconquerable benevolence", unconquerable in the sense that it is not deterred or determined by the actions of the recipient. while benevolence is from the Latin "bene volo" to well wish, to want the best for someone. Jesus never expected or asked us to love everyone in the same way, the Greek Biblical word Philia describes the love for our closes friend our nearest and dearest. Forgiveness, therefore is an act of unconditional love, it is not dependent on the person, their attitudes, or their behaviour. It is important to remember that when love excludes the sinner it has become legalism and when love condones the sin it has become licence. Our forgiveness of others should not and is not conditional upon them, but something we are empowered to determine.
5. Forgiveness is liberty! I have spoken of people being in a stuck place, restricted in their ability to be themselves with God and others, they become spectators of life rather than participators in the fulness of life. The burden of guilt with its accompanying shame or the burden of hurt with its companions anger and frustation, must be lifted if we are to experience freedom. The two necessarily are dealt with separately

   First Guilt - We need to seek God's forgiveness, to come to the cross and receive forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. We do this by repentance, that is turning from our sin to God and recieveing Jesus into our life as Saviour and Lord, in recognition that he took the penalty of our sin and that he is God the Son. As Chrsitians we still need to confess our sin and in so doing release our feelings of guilt, 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness".

   Second Hurt - Whether this is perceived or actual is of no matter, we must forgive and release, send away that wounding hurt from us. We have a pattern to deal with two people who have had a row, perhaps one was 99% in the wrong and the other 1% in the wrong. It still means that both parties are in the wrong and need to apologise, ask for and receive forgiveness. This is the formula of words we encourage 1st person "I'm sorry, I love you please forgive me". 2nd person "I forgive you". The two then change roles. This has certainly worked in reducing frictions in our household.

Be encouraged to forgive anything you holding on to, so that you may be free. Unforgiveness is a bit like a method I heard of for catching monkeys. A fruit is placed in a secured basket with an opening just big enough for the monkey to insert his hand but when he grabs the fruit he cannot remove his hand and is caught. He is in a stuck place. If only he released the fruit he would regain his freedom. Let us ensure we release forgiveness, because we want to follow the teachings of Jesus, not easy to do when your in a stuck place.

Introduction to Forgiveness | Releasing Forgiveness | 

UNDERSTAND FORGIVENESS

As I have already explained there are fundamental principles with forgiveness that it is important that we understand, if we are to forgive. There is not the time or space to deal with these in any great depth nor do I claim this work is complete, however I hope that it will convey a working knowledge.

What does "to forgive" mean? Vines Dictionary says "to send forth, send away, to remit or forgive a debt or sin" and again "to bestow a favour unconditionally, is used of the act of forgiveness whether divine or human" and again " denotes a dismissal, release, it is used of the remission of sins". Well then, when we forgive we send away, loose or release the 'sin' that is or can harm the relationship. The punishment or penalty is remitted, that is cancelled in the act of forgiveness, this is not just the debt of the sinner but also the penalty of unforgiveness. This is why forgiving people is healthy and health giving. Let us look at the principles that we help us understand forgiveness.

1. God is God we are not! We often judge ourselves more harshly than we should, yes our aim is to be like Jesus (i.e. perfect) but in my experience I have met no one who remotely matches up to him. We may well want to forgive people but we need God's help to do it. In fact, just as we love because he first loved us (1 John 4:19). We can forgive because we have been forgiven. The Gospel of Matthew (7:21-35) tells the story of a man who could not forgive even though he had been forgiven a great debt. The consequences were enormous for the man, the result was prison and torture. Without God's forgiveness we cannot easily forgive and can remain in a "stuck place" torturing ourselves with resentments and hatreds..
2. Forgiveness is a fact! God's forgiveness is a fact received by faith that affects our feelings. Our forgiveness is also a fact, it happened in a point of time, when we forgave and spoke out our forgiveness (speaking out our forgiveness is important whether in prayer or over the person concerned). When our feelings point us back to the hurt or transgression against us, we must allow, even encourage, our faith to point to the fact that we forgave (released away from us) at that time past.
3. Forgiveness is not forgetfulness! Forgiveness is often portrayed as forgetfulness in Christian circles but it is not. A friend had a bad cut on his hand that would not heal, we found that he was continually re-opening the wound so as not to forget. However had he allowed the wound to heal immediately he would still have a scar to remind him of the wound. The emotional or actual wound may be as small as some slight, like not being greeted at church, or as damaging as rape or abuse. As we forgive a healing takes place but the scar or memory is still there but now it does not hurt or restrict. Time is a great healer it is often said, however the healing of time can leave a scar that restricts our freedom and anyway if I broke my leg I wouldn't sit around waiting for it to heal. As forgiven people we have the power to be pro-active in our healing process.
4. Forgiveness is not licence! As Christians we must learn to love (agape) the sinner but hate the sin. When a person continues in their sin we must still love (agape) them but hate the sin. Agape a biblical greek word for love is described by William Barclay as "unconquerable benevolence", unconquerable in the sense that it is not deterred or determined by the actions of the recipient. while benevolence is from the Latin "bene volo" to well wish, to want the best for someone. Jesus never expected or asked us to love everyone in the same way, the Greek Biblical word Philia describes the love for our closes friend our nearest and dearest. Forgiveness, therefore is an act of unconditional love, it is not dependent on the person, their attitudes, or their behaviour. It is important to remember that when love excludes the sinner it has become legalism and when love condones the sin it has become licence. Our forgiveness of others should not and is not conditional upon them, but something we are empowered to determine.
5. Forgiveness is liberty! I have spoken of people being in a stuck place, restricted in their ability to be themselves with God and others, they become spectators of life rather than participators in the fulness of life. The burden of guilt with its accompanying shame or the burden of hurt with its companions anger and frustation, must be lifted if we are to experience freedom. The two necessarily are dealt with separately

   First Guilt - We need to seek God's forgiveness, to come to the cross and receive forgiveness of our sins through Jesus Christ. We do this by repentance, that is turning from our sin to God and recieveing Jesus into our life as Saviour and Lord, in recognition that he took the penalty of our sin and that he is God the Son. As Chrsitians we still need to confess our sin and in so doing release our feelings of guilt, 1 John 1:9 says "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness".

   Second Hurt - Whether this is perceived or actual is of no matter, we must forgive and release, send away that wounding hurt from us. We have a pattern to deal with two people who have had a row, perhaps one was 99% in the wrong and the other 1% in the wrong. It still means that both parties are in the wrong and need to apologise, ask for and receive forgiveness. This is the formula of words we encourage 1st person "I'm sorry, I love you please forgive me". 2nd person "I forgive you". The two then change roles. This has certainly worked in reducing frictions in our household.

Be encouraged to forgive anything you holding on to, so that you may be free. Unforgiveness is a bit like a method I heard of for catching monkeys. A fruit is placed in a secured basket with an opening just big enough for the monkey to insert his hand but when he grabs the fruit he cannot remove his hand and is caught. He is in a stuck place. If only he released the fruit he would regain his freedom. Let us ensure we release forgiveness, because we want to follow the teachings of Jesus, not easy to do when your in a stuck place.

Introduction to Forgiveness | Releasing Forgiveness | 

GOD LOVE

Hosea 2:19-23 (ESV)

And I will betroth you to me forever. I will betroth you to me in righteousness and in justice, in steadfast love and in mercy.  I will betroth you to me in faithfulness. Andyou shall know the LORD. “And in that day I will answer, declares the LORD, I will answer the heavens,and they shall answer the earth,and the earth shall answer the grain, the wine, and the oil,and they shall answer Jezreel,and I will sow her for myself in the land.  And I will have mercy on No Mercy, and I will say to Not My People, ‘You are my people’; and they shall say, ‘You are my God.’”

This passage always sticks out to me.  The book of Hosea is so much about God bringing His people back to Him.  It’s astounding to think that God loves us enough to seek us, that even those that are “Not [His] People” He will call them “[His] People”. In the NIV, it says ” I will plant her for myself in the land; I will show my love to the one I called ‘Not my loved one” (Hos.2:23). God’s love is so immeasurable, it knows no bounds.  It’s difficult to even write attempting to convey His love.  But think of it like this……
A train is about to collide into a bridge, the bridge needs to rise, but if that occurs the bridge operators son, will be killed as he is stuck in a gear, to save the people he must sacrifice his son.  It is a difficult decision, but he gives up His son to save the lives of the people on that train*.  In the same way God sent His son Jesus to die for us, so we may have communion with Him.  Always remember, Jesus came and died, for our freedom, so that we may know Him more.  It may just brighten things up.

RELEASING FORGIVENESS

Once we understand some of the principles behind forgiveness, there only remains the the fact of doing it. The act of forgiveness takes place by the determination of our will and at a certain time. If the the matter being forgiven is weighty, then it may be advisable to have a sensitive, spiritual person with you, a minister, friend or a member of the family. The following are helps to releasing forgiveness and are in no way perscriptive.

• Concentrate on the words that Jesus taught his disciples
  'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name,
  Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 
  Give us today our daily bread. 
  Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 
  And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.'

  and "For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." We recognise that in saying the Lord's Prayer we are asking God to use the same measure of forgiveness to us, as we measure out to others.

• Look at and appreciate how much we have been forgiven and the cost of that forgiveness.

  "Be holy, because I am holy." Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear. For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. He was chosen before the creation of the world, but was revealed in these last times for your sake. Through him you believe in God, who raised him from the dead and glorified him, and so your faith and hope are in God. Now that you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth so that you have sincere love for your brothers, love one another deeply, from the heart. For you have been born again, not of perishable seed, but of imperishable, through the living and enduring word of God. (1 Peter 1:16-23)

• Ask for and receive the forgiveness of God before you commence. You may wish to confess specific shortcomings, but it is also important to ask forgiveness for the unconscious and unwitting sins of everyday life, even when we are not aware of them. If we say we are without sin we deceive only ourselves.
• Speak out the forgiveness in a clear audible voice and a positive confession of forgiveness and mark a calandar with the date, so that you can recall that it is a finished task in times of pressure.
• Thank God for his love and the freedom that his love brings, then read your favourite passage of scripture and experience his love being poured into your heart by the Holy Spirit.
• Take time over the receiving of God's love and the empowering freedom that it brings. Be silent, I personally like to lay on the floor of our lounge and listen to the latest tape, but you should do what makes you relaxed, because relaxing makes it easier to receive.

Finally it is important to walk in the freedom that God provides, enjoy life and most importantly be gentle with yourself - you are precious to God - just look at the price of your redemption.

Introduction to Forgiveness | Understanding Forgiveness |