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ATR (Anointed, Transformed, Redeemed) Week 4 Summary |
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Written by Monica Wamsley
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Tuesday, 27 April 2010 09:20 |
Viewer Guide Session 4. Speaker: Beth Moore
Moving On With Brave Obedience
Luke 7:23 - Blessed is the man who does not fall away on account of me.
Psalm 126:5 - Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy.
God is wanting to do more than just make adjustments in our lives and character. He wants to transform us.
In order to see a "so far" transformation, we have to move past our devastation. Past our anger when God hasn't 'behaved' like we think he should. Past our fear. We can not allow Satan to twist the truth so that we are always equating God's glory with our pain. Life is hard and will hand us opportunities to be offended with God in our anger and fear. Our reaction will be based on our trust and where we place it. We can trust that God is faithful or we can trust that He is not. The choice of where we place that trust is ours.
In order to move on with brave obedience, we have to return to wholehearted obedience. Psalm 126:5&6 - Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.
I need to repeat something here from the session 3 summary: "Not all devastation or difficulty is a result of sin." Sometimes bad things and situations just happen. And when they do, you can be sure that your Father who loves you more than anything will be right there with you, through it all.
But when devastation and difficulty area a result of sin, we need to follow David's example (I Chronicles 15:12-15) and search the scriptures and find out where we went wrong and return to obedience; wholehearted, passionate, devoted obedience to God. 2 Samuel 6:12-23 tells the story of David's successful journey with the ark being brought to Jerusalem. After his devastation, David was obedient to the Lord's instructions and reverently transported the Ark on the shoulders of consecrated Levites.
In 2 Samuel 7 we see David - post-devastation, post-anger, post-trauma, post-fear - walking in wholehearted obedience. He is post-joy following the devastation. He is longing to do more for his God. But God says, "I will do something for you, David."
In 2 Samuel 7:25, David is showing courage. He has courage to believe God will fulfill his promises. In vs. 28, David tells God he knows that God is trustworthy.
Beth ends session 4 with a powerful point. We know that our God has good things for us. But they aren't always painless. He will give us the strength, or will BE our strength, through them.
Week 4 Day 1:
Back to the Prescribed Way
I Chronicles 15:13 - "It was because you, the Levites, did not bring it up the first time that the LORD our God broke out in anger against us. We did not inquire of him about how to do it in the prescribed way." (David speaking to the Israelites)
David was working past his devastation. He was allowing God to minister grace to him. David wasn't standing still in his place of anger and fear. David found what he needed to do by searching the books of Moses and finding God's direction in moving the Ark. Once he found direction, he moved from his place of disappointment and devastation into a place of obedience.
Again, often our suffering is not a result of disobedience. We know that the innocent, as well as the guilty, are visited by tragedy and disease. Matthew 5:45 - He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good. Rain falls on the righteous and the unrighteous.
Devastation, whatever the cause, if not dealt with can cause continued disappointment in God, ourselves, or other people. Continued disappointment - even of God's own sovereign decisions - will lead to disobedience. Devastation + continued disappointment = disobedience. And moving forward with God demands obedience.
We need to ask ourselves what our faith is based on. De we base our faith truly on who God is? Or do we, perhaps, base our faith on what God does? Circumstances in life will change. But God - who God truly is - does not change.
If you review 2 Samuel 6:1-12 and concentrate on who God is,you will read that He is The Name, The LORD Almighty. He is Holy, powerful, full of grace and mercy. He is not heartless and harsh. He is Holy.
Week 4 Day 2:
Fresh Reverence
Psalm 99:9 - Exalt the Lord our God and worship at his holy mountain, for the Lord our God is holy.
We see in 2 Samuel 6:1-12 that in moving the Ark of the LORD, David used a new cart pulled by oxen. This was a way of transport adopted from the Philistines, Not God's way for His own children to handle His very presence. God told Moses in Exodus 25:22 that He (God) would meet with His people there between the cherubim - in the inner most part of the sanctuary. They were given specific handling instructions. The people were not to touch or even look at the Ark of the LORD.
David was a new king for Israel. King Saul had treated God and the tghings of God with disrespect and irreverence. With this new King for Israel, God was reminding them of His holiness and their need to reverence Him. He wanted His people to remember that He was their God and that they were set apart to Him. They needed to be different. The Philistine way was not God's way. God's glory (the Ark) would rest on their consecrated shoulders - reverently - as they carried the Ark.
Week 4 Day 3:
To Dance with All Your Might
2 Samuel 6:14 - David, wearing a linen ephod, danced before the LORD with all his might.
After David had moved past his devastation with God and moved on to wholehearted obedience, he was about to successfully bring the Ark of the LORD to Jerusalem. In doing so, he was filled with such great joy that he danced before the Lord with all his might.
There is nothing quite like the joy and praise of such magnitude following a time or season in which we've struggled deeply.
In week 3, Beth talked about experiencing devastation at a time of expected celebration. But in week 4 we see the reverse. At times we come to a place of such great sorrow or loss that we think we will never experience joy again. But our love for God, even in the midst of brokenness, can bring forth such healing that we'll never be the same. When we allow God to take our brokenness, we realize we will survive - even if at times we wish otherwise. When we allow His healing to come, one layer at a time, we will come to a place of restoration and fresh revelation.
It is in this place of fresh revelation - of who God is, always has been, and always will be - that we will dance with all our might before the God who will never fail. He will never fail us. He will never leave us in our failure. Whe we come the this place of revelation, we - like David - will not be able to hold back our praises - whatever form it chooses to take. (song, dance, music, art, poetry, writing, etc.) At this point, you may have to ignore a few "Michal's" who are sitting in windows watching your celebration, judging jealously. Beth tells us, "Everyone who understands enough about God to pour her life lavishly on His alter will be misunderstood by someone who doesn't." Read John 12:1-8.
Week 4 Day 4:
Mourning Turned to Dancing
Psalm 30:11 - You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.
Something we need to be clear about concerning David's worship and dancing before the Lord. A public place was not the usual place for David's regular, daily worship. You can be sure that the depth of David's private worship was greater than his public worship. We read in the Psalms of David's many heights of worship and praise during his private times of tending sheep as a youth or later in life hiding in the cleft of a rock, praising God for his shelter and protection.
If we do not have a private time of worship but restrict ourselves only to Sunday mornings at church, our worship will be stagnant, won't grow. We'll never experience new heights of His presence in our praise. Our private worship should always exceed our public expressions. Our heartfelt worship is an intimate relationship between us and God. While public displays are acceptable., our most intimate moments will be in private. Until we meet together in Heaven and with all nations, tongues, and tribes, as well as all the angels around the throne - there face to His glorious face. There we will worship with reckless abandon. What a day, glorious day, that will be!
Week 4 Day 5:
Hanging Onto The Blessing
2 Samuel 7:29 - New be pleased to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue forever in Your sight; for You, O Sovereign LORD, have spoken.
We see that once David moved past his devastation and onto wholehearted obedience, he went one step further. He was able to courageously move on to see the fulfillment of God's promises. David had courage to believe in God's promises because he knew that God is sovereign. God didn't want to bless David because David did everything perfect. We've seen ourselves just how imperfect David was. We have to realize, as David did, that our Sovereign God will indeed bless us - He longs to bless us - TO THE GLORY OF HIS OWN MIGHTY NAME.
He is merciful. He is gracious. He is loving. He is faithful. We have to know and believe and have the courage to live and acknowledge with all our being, all that is in us, that there is no one like our God. He has no equal.
We know that God has chosen to display the greatness of His name through His people. (Deut. 33:29, Rom. 8:37, Rom. 11:36).
God is huge. Let's let His Glory guide us in our petitions and our priorities. Let us have pure hearts, devoted to Him. Let us say of Him as David did, "O Sovereign Lord, you are God! Your words are trustworthy, and you have promised good things to your servant. Now, be please to bless the house of your servant." For His glory! Amen. |
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