Going God's Way

Going God's Way

by Patricia Dailey
Senior Pastor, Bethel Revival Center
43 Norwood St.
Everett, MA 02149

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see Judges 6:1-10
And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the LORD: and the LORD delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years.

God had told Adam and Eve not to touch the tree in the midst of the garden. Yet, Adam blamed Eve and Eve blamed the serpent. People often like to blame someone else for their sin, saying, "They made me do it!"

Listen, just because we listen to the devil's lies, we can't blame him or anyone else for our sin. Each of us has to given an account to God for what we do with our life. We are to work out our own salvation with fear and trembling. We can't blame our sin on someone else, not even the devil.

Lessons from The Book Of Judges

I Corinthians 10:11, 12
Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come. Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall.

The Lord loves us and doesn't want us to continue on in our sinful ways. This is why He corrects us with chastisement, even as He did the children of Israel.

Now, the book of Judges covers about 400 years, during which time the children of Israel had various judges who were raised up to bring them out of bondage. For awhile they would serve the Lord; but when that particular judge died, they would go back into idolatry, back to doing things the way they wanted to do them, doing what was right in their own sight.

Judges 17:6
In those days there was no king in Israel, but every man did that which was right in his own eyes.

Many times, amongst a body of believers there will be those who are disgruntled, those who will cause problems amongst the body. And if you allow yourself to get disgruntled and involved with them, it's you who are sinning. You can't blame anyone but yourself. After all, you didn't have to get involved.

There are those who will do what the children of Israel did here in Judges: not seeking God until they're in distress, until they're in trouble.

This was the pattern here with the children of Israel. Is it the pattern in your life? Do you wait until you find yourself in distress before you call on God?

Then there are others who will keep in tune with God: day after day they look to God, crying out for more of His Word, more of His power, more of His anointing. They want more of God, want to go deeper with Him.

It's important to keep in touch with God now. Don't wait for troubles. If you call on God now, you'll be prepared when trouble comes, and you'll see God bringing you through those troubles.

Back in the days of Judges, the enemy had terrorized them and the land was impoverished.

This is something we are familiar with in this day and hour. We have seen what terrorism can do in our own nation, and we hear of terrorism in other areas of the world every day.

If the President hadn't acted right away after 9/11/2001, who knows if we'd be here today. The devil came to steal, to kill, and to destroy — and that's what he is doing through terrorism today.

I want you to know that God is a good God and He loves you and me. He is not willing that any should perish but that all come to repentance. He does not want us to sin. Jesus came and paid a horrible price. He suffered and bled and died on that cruel cross so you and I could be forgiven of our sins. Our sins were nailed to the Cross with Him.

I John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Chastisement

But I would encourage you not to sin. If you do, God is going to deal with you; He is going to chastise you.

Psalm 119:67
Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept Thy word.

The writer is saying that he was afflicted because he went astray. These afflictions will come even though we're living under grace. God is going to chastise and deal that we might be corrected of our way.

Revelation 3:19
As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.

When God speaks to us in this way, He isn't doing it to be mean. He loves us and doesn't want us to perish. He wants us to be corrected of our way that we might gain eternal life.

Hebrews 12:5, 6
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children, My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of Him: for whom the Lord loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom He receiveth.

When you hear that you're doing wrong — whether you hear through reading the Word, through preaching and teaching, through a brother or sister speaking to you about that thing, or through some other means — get right on to it. Repent, and put away that sin.

Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

The Lord gives us the strength to overcome evil. He gives us the power to put evil away, power over all the power of the enemy — see Luke 10:19.

If the Lord's chastisement were joyous, we wouldn't want to correct our ways. But it is grievous and afterwards yields the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them that are exercised thereby.

We should be trained by the time we get through the chastisement — knowing the things that are displeasing to God, that He will not tolerate sin — and finding His fruit in our lives. Through it, we ought to learn the right way and thus have good standing with God. That is the purpose of His correcting us.

Now, these times of chastisement are not going to be joyous times; I don't want you to think they are. They are going to be grievous times, times of vexing.

In such a time you're really crying out to God, but heaven seems brass. It seems like everything is going wrong for you. Nothing you do seems right. Everything seems out of control.

If you'll just let the chastening rod of the Lord work in your life, it should train you to know the thing you did wrong was not pleasing to God.

You can rest assured, until you learn that you cannot sin and still please God, His chastening will remain.

People think they can do anything they want and God will accept them, but that is a lie from the pit of hell! We cannot do just as we please. They think they can just receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior and then continue doing just as they want to do.

Romans 6:1
What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?

If this were true, then Christ's death would have been in vain. He took our sins upon Himself on that cross to set us free from sin, and we should stay free in Him. We should never yield our members over to sin.

Romans 6:2
God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?

We want to pay mind when God is speaking, when He is correcting that thing which is wrong and sinful in our life.

Job 5:17
Behold, happy is the man whom God correcteth: therefore despise not thou the chastening of the Almighty

When a man has been corrected by God and he allows that correction to do a work in his life, that man is happy. It makes him happy to know that the Lord loves him enough to correct him from the error of his way.

But You Have Not Obeyed My Voice!

Judges 6:7-10
And it came to pass, when the children of Israel cried unto the LORD because of the Midianites, that the LORD sent a prophet unto the children of Israel, which said unto them, Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you, and drave them out from before you, and gave you their land; and I said unto you, I am the LORD your God; fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but ye have not obeyed My voice.

It's wonderful when we can see the error of our way and repent before we continue on in sin. But if we insist on going our own way, God has to use measures to correct us.

Now, who sinned here in Judges 6? The children of Israel sinned. That's why all of this was happening to them.

People like to blame God when things happen to them: "God is a respecter of persons. He doesn't love me." That's not true. God loves us all.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

So, if you say that God doesn't love you, you are calling Him a liar.

Egypt

Judges 6:8, 9
. . . Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, I brought you up from Egypt, and brought you forth out of the house of bondage; and I delivered you out of the hand of the Egyptians, and out of the hand of all that oppressed you  . . .

Egypt is likened to the world, and you and I know that the Lord has brought us up out of the world to serve Him. When He brought us out of the world, He broke the bondage that sin had placed on us, and He put a new heart within.

Why would we want to go back? Why would we want to go whoring after the things of this world?

Those who go whoring after the things of this world have a lust in them that craves for these worldly things. The devil entices them, making it look so good.

I John 2:16
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world.

If all your friends are running that way, those are the wrong friends to have. This is why we are to separate ourselves from the ungodly, because evil communications corrupt good manners — see I Corinthians 15:33. As a child of God, don't run with people like that. Don't run with the worldly crowd:

"Oh, come on, have a drink! Have a cigarette! Have some drugs! Come on, let's go out and have a wild time!"

You should forsake those kinds of friends. Don't continue hanging around with them, running here and there with them.

II Corinthians 6:17,18
Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing; and I will receive you, and will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.

You've got to come out from amongst the worldly crowd. You live in this world but you're not of this world.

Colossians 3:1,2
If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth.

Our desire should be for the things of God, not for the things of this world. But many of God's people don't want to hear that. They want what makes the old flesh feel good.

But how long do the things of this world last? How long do they satisfy? How long do drugs satisfy? Those who are on drugs crave for more and more. Some even kill people to be able to support their habit.

The Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, out from the house of bondage, delivering them from the hand of their oppressors. And He has delivered us from the world. We find that when we follow Jesus, no longer do we desire the things that are out there in the world.

Judges 6:10
. . . but ye have not obeyed My voice.

Here in Judges 6:10 we find that because they didn't obey His voice, they found troubles. They were impoverished. They planted their crops only to have their enemies come with their cattle and destroy it all. And many are impoverished today because they don't serve the Lord and do that which is right.

It doesn't matter what the conditions in the world are, God can still bless His people when they are obedient to Him, when they love and serve Him with all their heart.

Psalm 37:18,19
The LORD knoweth the days of the upright: and their inheritance shall be for ever. They shall not be ashamed in the evil time: and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied.

Look in I Kings 17 and see how He took care of Elijah during the long years of drought.

Tithing

Now, one reason some are not blessed is because they have not given their tithe (a tenth of their increase) to the Lord:

Malachi 3:10-12
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.

And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the LORD of hosts. And all nations shall call you blessed: for ye shall be a delightsome land, saith the LORD of hosts.

If you want God to bless your life like He has blessed others, start to obey His Word. Start to bring your tithe and offerings into His house and watch what He will do for you.

God Equips — We Obey

Judges 6:11,12
And there came an angel of the LORD, and sat under an oak which was in Ophrah, that pertained unto Joash the Abi-ezrite: and his son Gideon threshed wheat by the winepress, to hide it from the Midianites. And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him, and said unto him, The LORD is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

That's quite a salutation! The angel called Gideon a mighty man of valour: one who has courage, personal bravery, strength of mind or spirit, enabling them to encounter danger with firmness. Gideon was trying to thresh some wheat behind the winepress when the angel appeared. He was hiding from the Midianites because they were coming in and taking the fruit of the land.

How would you feel if the Lord sent an angel to tell you that the Lord was with you? Of course, you should already know this because — even if an angel never came to tell you — the Bible lets you know that the Lord has promised never to leave you or forsake you and that He will be with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Judges 6:14,15
And the LORD looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee? And he said unto him, Oh my LORD, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father's house.

It doesn't make any difference whether you're rich or poor, or what nation you come from: If God calls you, He won't consider these types of excuses. He is the one who will enable you to do what He has called you to do: He will anoint you; He will lead you and direct you; He'll instruct you in the things He wants you to do.

You don't have to feel inadequate because you're unable to speak, or because you feel inferior, or for some other shortcoming you may think you have.

Philippians 2:13
For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure.

Always remember this truth: God will give you whatever is needed for you to do what He calls you to do. It's not your own abilities, nothing you possess in yourself. It's of God all the way: His leading, His anointing, His direction.

Realize, there will always be critics waiting to criticize you. Let them criticize. All you have to do is obey God, and He will use you to accomplish His will.

Galatians 1:10
For do I now persuade men, or God? or do I seek to please men? for if I yet pleased men, I should not be the servant of Christ.