It-takes-one-to-make-one

'...EACH ACCORDING TO ITS KIND...' GENESIS 1:24

In the book of Genesis ('Beginning'), God shows us how He intends things to work in life: 'Let the earth bring forth the living creature...each according to its kind.' Each one of us is a product of our DNA and our environment.

Now, fast forward.
How many giant killers were in Saul's army?
Not one.

When Goliath challenged Israel every soldier quaked with fear.
Yet David, who came to bring food to his brothers, sized up the situation, recalled his experiences with God and went out and killed him.
Now, after David became king, how many other giant killers arose in Israel?
Lots: '...Then Sibbecai...killed Sippai, one of the descendants of the giants, and they were subdued. And there was war with the Philistines again, and Elhanan...killed Lahmi the brother of Goliath the Gittite, the shaft of whose spear was like a weaver's beam. Again there was war at Gath, where there was a man of great stature who had twenty-four fingers and toes, six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot; and he also descended from the giants. When he taunted Israel, Jonathan the son of Shimea, David's brother, killed him. These were descended from the giants in Gath [Gpoliath's home town], and they fell by the hand of David and by the hands of his servants' (1Chronicles 20:4-8 NAS).

Why do you suppose there were no giant killers in Saul's day?
Because Saul himself wasn't one!
But under David's ;leadership they multiplied because David was a giant killer.
This illustrates the 'it-takes-one-to-make-one' principle that staryts in Genesis and runs through the Bible.
(adapted from The Word For Today, May-July 2009

Listen To God 2

'FEAR NOT, FOR I AM WITH YOU...' ISAIAH 41:10 NKJV

To be successful in anything God calls you to do, you must be sensitive to the Holy Spirit within you and learn to recognise when He speaks to you through the Scriptures.

When the pressure is on and you're tempted to move too quickly you'll hear His voice saying '...You shall not go with haste...for the Lord will go before you, and the God of Israel will be your rear guard' (Isaiah 52:12 NKJV).
God's got you covered; front and back.
How good is that?
When you're about to make a wrong turn or a bad decision He will remind you, 'In his heart a man plans his course, but the Lord determines his steps' (Proverbs 16:9NIV). When you don't have the ways and means to get the job done His voice will whisper: 'The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in draought, and strengthen your bones; you will be like a garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail' (Isaiah 58:11 NKJV). You have an unfailing supply. When you run out of answers and don't know what to do He will reassure you: 'I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you' (Psalm 32:8 NIV). When the load becomes too heavy to carry you'll hear His voice saying, 'Cast your cares on the Lord and he will sustain you; he will never let the righteous fall' (Psalms 55:22 NIV)

Hearing God's voice may mean you have to sacrifice lesser things and tune out other voices, but you must do it.
Nothing, absolutely nothing, is more important than learning to recognise God's voice when He speaks to you.

(adapted from THE WORD FOR TODAY May-July, 2009.

Listen To God 1

Any time you step out in faith and try something, a voice within you will whisper 'You must be out of your mind. You're not capable of this. Those little accomplishments you had before were just pure ;uck; you just happen to be in the right place at the right time. Now you're over your head.' That voice will waken you in the middle of the night, sick to your stomach. You can hear it in every boardroom, living room and pavement. It's thevoice of fear, and it doesn't play fair. It pulls the file on your past failures and preys on your deepest insecurities.

But there's another voice; God's! It says: 'Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you, yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand' (Isa. 41:10 KJV). Attuning your hears to God's voice doesn't mean your problems are automatically solved or that the other voice just fades away.
No, it's more like having an intimate conversation with a close friend in a noisy, crowded place. There may be other voices around you but you don't hear them because you're so focused on what your friend is saying.
That's how it is with God's voice. Whether He speaks to you through Scriptures, through a friend, or through your lifes circumstances, He's always communicating with the heart that seeks Him.
His promise to you is, 'Your ears will hear a voice...saying, "This is the way; walk in it."'
One word from God, just one, can change your entire look.
So today, take time to listen to God's voice.

(adapted from 'The Word For Today' May-July, 2009