Behold, I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have spoken to you. (Genesis 28:15)

Nine times out of ten, God is our spare tire. We need to correct this. Make God your steering wheel instead, as He should be.

1/21/2013, Lyn Leahz

We have a promise, and that promise is redemption through the blood of our Savior, Jesus Christ. I would like you to take just a moment before you read on to ponder the above verse, as well as the first sentence in this article.

Now that you have pondered these words, do they mean anything to you? What, my friend, is your land? Is it your body? Your house? Your family? Your finances? Your job? Where is it you are wandering now? Because I assure you, if you lean on God‘s truths with hopefulness and faithfulness, He will return you to His land…the land He has promised… the land of healing, joy, wholeness, peacefulness, health, and blessing.  Doesn’t a land flowing with milk and honey sound good to you? It does to me!

Right now, we live in a land flowing with poison.  Yes, you heard me right, poison–spiritual, soul-killing, and physical death.  Among these noxious ingredients are: hatred, strife, bitterness, unforgiveness, witchcraft, sickness, disease, false doctrine, murder, abuse, deceit, lust, sexual immorality, jealousy, idolatry, addiction, accusation, judgment, bitterness, adultery, scorn, ridicule, laziness, greed, hypocrisy, fornication (spiritual/physical), selfishness, occult practices, the spirit of Antichrist, lukewarm thinking and living, fear, doubt, pride, unbelief, worry, disrespect for authority, rebellion, and many more.  Can you add to this list?  If you think of more, please feel free to add them below in the comments area.

Who, or what, are you leaning on?

• A person?
• A paycheck?
• A place of business?
• Your job? Your boss?
• A friend?
• A relationship?
• An alcoholic beverage? 
• A cigarette?
• Sex?
• Pornography?
• A favorite (godless) television show?
• A video game?
• Government assistance?
• A report from a doctor?
• Your medications?
• Our government system?
• A political leader?
• A vehicle?
• Someone’s ability to forgive you?
• Your ability to forgive another?
• A spouse, a family member, or a friend? (see also, a person, above)
• The Lottery?
• God?

I’m hoping out of everything on the list above, you were honest with yourself. I would say that many of the things included in this list, depending upon our situations, are just where I have them placed–before God, and Him, at the very bottom. It is a sad truth, however, until we have no other choice…when everything else fails…we turn to God. It’s a shame.  We don’t mean to do it.  We live in a society of pride and self.  So what do we do?  We try to fix everything ourselves first, then we turn to God for His  help.  But it’s not just our pride that causes us to do this, it is also because allowing God to help us usually means we have to give up a couple of things:  ourselves, our wills (desires, wants, control, etc.), and finally, something sinful in our lives that is preventing God from helping us.  Remember, He can’t go against our own will.

For instance.  If I’m sick all the time, and my sickness is caused by smoking cigarettes, and I’m crying to God for healing, and He keeps telling me it’s those cigarettes, yet I keep smoking them…God isn’t going to be able to heal me of the sickness because for one, I’m doing it to myself, and secondly, He can’t make it okay for me to smoke because smoking is an idolatrous act, and is very sinful.  However, if I quit smoking those cigarettes, He will help me quit and He will heal me of the sickness caused by the cigarettes while I was smoking.

I once saw a sign in front of a church that has stuck with me for many years. It read, “Is God your steering wheel, or your spare tire?” Have you ever taken the time to think about this? Where is God on your list? Do you wait until the emergency comes (as many of us do) to turn to Him? Or do you count on Him even when things are going as they should be?

What a promise God has given us, all throughout His Word–He is with us wherever we go. He will not leave us, but will keep His promises concerning us. When we cry out to Him, He hears. He loves us. His love is deeper and wider than anything we can imagine. His forgiveness (when we repent) is unfathomable. He is ready to bless us when we honor and please Him. I could go on forever.

Start leaning on God today. Remember that God cannot and will not lie. He is a God of His word, and His Word was made manifest through Jesus Christ. No matter what you are facing, what lies behind, or ahead, start putting your faith and trust in God, because one way or another, He will work it out. God always has a plan, but we have to know this, without a doubt, no matter how things might seem.  When we come to Him and lay it all down before the cross, and genuinely seek His help and His direction, He will certainly come through.  God is moved by our honesty with Him, and a genuine heart. 

Let me give you a good example. Do you remember the story of Joshua and the walls of Jericho? God told them to march around the city for seven days in a row–thousands of men–and on the seventh day, give a loud shot (all of the men at once) and blow the trumpet (the shofar). To these men, it probably sounded absolutely ridiculous. They probably had many questions as to why they were to do something so seemingly silly. They were trying to win a battle…take a city…and be victorious! Who has time to march around like a bunch of nuts and blow a trumpet? Even the people of Jericho thought they had lost their minds.

Little did they know, God had them marching and shouting right on top of a major fault line, and the stomping of thousands of feet, the loud thunderous roar of their voices shouting at once, and the blow of the shofar would initiate the fault line, causing an earthquake that would knock the walls of Jericho down. This has since been discovered, and dated, by archaeologists, and is consistent with the timing, historically, of the Biblical account.

What if they would have ignored the command of God, saying, “Oh, that is just too silly. That makes no sense. God wouldn’t have us do that! We’ll just look like a bunch of idiots!” But God had a marvelous purpose in this, and they did obey…and the walls fell.  Sometimes God asks us to do something, and we don’t necessarily understand it.  It might sound weird, strange, or unnecessary.  We might worry about what others will think of us, or be afraid of failure.  But just keep this truth from the Old Testament in the back of your mind at all times.

If a friendly acquaintance of yours stopped by your house and said, “Hey, for seven days, we have to march around the abortion clinic up the street.  On the seventh day, we have to stomp our feet and shout at the same time, and one of us is going to have to blow a trumpet real loud.  If we do this, on the seventh day, right after we blow the trumpet, the walls of the abortion clinic are going to fall down!  God told me this is what we have to do. Are you in?”  What would you think?  Would you think it sounded really crazy?  Would you worry what people might think if they happened to drive passed and see you among the group?  What if someone recognized you?  What if news crews showed up?  Who might see you?  What would they think?  Would you go ahead and take a chance and do it, trusting in God instead of your own understanding?  

Proverbs 3:5-6, Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct your paths.

Do you have a Jericho in your life? Is God telling you to do something in order to break down those walls, but you’re either not listening, or you’re not sure? The Holy Spirit will keep reminding you in your spirit–the still, small voice–the one that is oftentimes overshadowed by all the other voices in our thoughts. Listen to that voice, and take heed. God wants to break down the walls that keep you outside of the place He wants you to be. But first, you must be willing to listen. After you listen, you must be willing to obey…take that chance, no matter how silly or strange it seems. You may find yourself dwelling directly in the presence of God sooner than you ever imagined!

Let God be the steering wheel of your automobile–you know, the one He gave you to get you where you’re going while you’re here on this earth?  The one you see every morning in the mirror..yeah, that one.  I know you would just love to trade it in for a newer model, but you can’t just yet.  Don’t worry though, I have a good feeling we’ll all be getting a brand new upgrade very soon! 

Don’t wait until something breaks, and you’re stranded on the side of the road with hardly any blessings in your savings account.  Why drive the car yourself when you can have a chauffeur who has already been paid for by your Father, including triple JJJ, which takes care of any tow charges?  It just doesn’t make any sense.  Fuel up with faith today, and forget the high prices of the fuel the world has to offer! There’s more than enough, and it never runs out. 

Oh, how thoughtless of me.  Here’s your owner’s manual!  Click HERE to read the directions.

-Lyn Leahz

Categories: Christian Living

Tags: Antichrist, Bible, Book of Genesis, Cigarette, God, Holy Spirit, Jericho, Jesu, Jesus Christ, Joshua, Lyn Leahz, Smoking cessation, Walls of Jericho (Jericho episode)