God delivered the children of Israel from bondage when they were slaves. God took them to freedom, and intended on changing their ways.
God wanted to bring them close to Him so that they could understand God and learn to love Him. God wanted them to learn new ways and to stop chasing wild imaginings and foolish sinful habits and lusts.
God knew that this work takes time but He had hopes in them being grateful, and that they would trust God in faith and live in hope of a beautiful future as they went to the promise land. God hoped that they would trust His man who he had chosen to lead the people.
We should be mindful of the past that we had (and its destructive sins) and we will have the opportunity to reach the destiny, the promise land, that God has planned for us. We should follow the guidance God gives us and be grateful because God loves us.
○
Hebrews Chapter 11, verses 1-3:
Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.
For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.
○
In order to grow and change one must consider their past and what we used to be like and the things that we once did.
Once we have found God we can look back sometimes in shock, disgust, and wonder that we did what they did under the guidance of a lost society. When we see the world through clean innocent eyes and then we can see what they did in the past was wrong, and in some cases evil. We are not to blame because we were mislead and confused (We need to understand this fact), and now we have the choice to follow God from what we have learned, to a new future.
With time God’s people lost faith in God, they lost faith and wanted to go back to the bondage and misery that they had been in. They deceived themselves into seeing the past as something better than what they currently had, and they lost hope for the future. They had fooled themselves.
For us to change and follow God with trust we need to see the past as it really was. We shouldn’t dress-up those times that we were unhappy in the past and make them look better now. There were times that we were greatly ashamed, sad, lonely, lost and felt depressed. How could we want that back! To willingly go back to the past is foolish, self destructive and will lead to nowhere good.
The Prodigal Son is a good example of a person who thought that the world was better than following God. He payed big time and was greatly ashamed by what he had become by becoming selfish and greedy and thinking only of himself. They say to forget the past, but don’t forget the lessons it taught you.
Never forget to be disappointed and disgusted in what society taught you to be, and don’t forget to be grateful for the knowledge, and wisdom and love that God is bringing to you now.
Get the meaning of good and evil in your head and in your heart straight – don’t be fooled, it is just not worth it. If we dress evil up to look good then we deceive ourselves and we will pay for that foolishness, especially in the long run.
Stand up strong against the strongest obstacles. It is better to die spiritually strong and able, than to die foolish, unhappy, pathetic and weak. The ways of society fulfills the flesh and not the spirit.
Material goods perish – our aim should be to satisfy the spiritual hearts of the many and our own heart will be satisfied.
○
2 Timothy Chapter 4, verse 10:
For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica; Crescens to Galatia, Titus unto Dalmatia.
○
Those that love the present world and have no vision for the eternal life depart from God. This is their undoing. But we must understand that it is their choice.
If we see the past with truth and honesty we can see the bad that we have left behind us. We must fill our hearts and souls with the love that God teaches so that we cannot fill our hearts and souls with badness. We must depart from evil and depart from people that follow the ways of evil, even if we love them. There is no advantage for anyone if they drag you down with them.
Our relationship with God is praying all day, and always considering God in all things that we think do and say in this world. The world may fall around us but we must be strong in our firm beliefs in what we know to be true. We have seen so many miracles and can see how the lost call them luck and coincidences – because they refuse to learn, they refuse to understand. They, like you, have free choice. Be wise and choose the opposite to them.
Work on your love and relationship with God at all times. Be faithful in all things that you think say and do. God knows your heart and is with you always. Know this as it is true and continue to follow and go with God’s loving guidance for your life always, for your own sake and for the sake of all those who will come to love you and know you in the future. Remember always that God loves you.
°
All the best from
James M Sandbrook.
First Published – 23 August 2013.