WHY WAIT Part II: When Our Plans Get In God's Way

PROGRAM #7
W.W.J.D.
DATE: February 5, 2006 / 7 Sh'vat 5766
DAY: First day of the week
TIME: 12:00 noon -1:00 pm.
THEME:
“WHY WAIT”
Part II: WHEN OUR PLANS GET IN GOD'S WAY

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W.W.J.D.'S THEME SONG


We'll fight the good fight
We'll fight the good fight
Living what's right
What would Jesus Do?


We'll serve our brother
love one another
What Would Jesus Do?


Humm..........
We'll fight ....
We'll serve ...
We'll live ...
As we ask ourselves
"What Would Jesus Do?"


We'll fight the good fight
living what's right
What Would Jesus Do?


We'll serve our brother
love one another
What Would Jesus Do?

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Have you ever felt this way:


Oh that my request might come to pass,
and that God would grant my longing!
-Job 6:8 NASB


Or maybe you have –like I have many times in my life– argued with God.


Well, if you have, then you found out just like Job –and like myself-- that you can argue with God, but He is always the better lawyer –He always wins His case!


Were He to snatch away
Who could restrain Him?
Who could say to Him,
“What art Thou doing?”
-Job 9:12 NASB



My Dad –I am speaking here of my adopted Dad: Ray Sherman– he struggled with God.


He said after his wife left him. Then he had to give up his church where he was the pastor. And he was out on their beautiful ranch in Cole County, and he knew he was going to have to give up the ranch he loved he too. He told me his story saying:


“The tears just streamed down my face as I looked up to Heaven and said:
'God I'm so mad at You! ----
But, You already know that don't you.'”
How about you? Have you ever charged God with wrong doing?
I have.


OR...
Have you ever waited and waited on something –praying about it with all of your heart– and it didn't happen! And yet, you find yourself hoping beyond hope, waiting and waiting, and now, You fear that your “waiter” is worn out!


I've been there too.


And I think many of us are there, or have been there. That's why our THEME for today's program is a continuation of last week's THEME: WHY WAIT?


Last week we discussed some very specific reasons why we should be willing to wait:
WHY WAIT?
BECAUSE WE HAVE A CREATOR
Who is also our SUSTAINER


WHY WAIT?
BECAUSE HE CREATED US FOR
LOVING RELATIONSHIP


WHY WAIT?
BECAUSE OUR GOD IS ALL POWERFUL




WHY WAIT?
BECAUSE Our God IS NOT CONSTRAINED
BY ANYTHING!


So our THEME for today is: “WHY WAIT? Part II or
WHEN OUR PLANS GET IN GOD'S WAY?


Can our plans get in God's way?
---------What do you think?-----------


A. God stands apart from time:


God stands apart from time because He is The Author of time.
God stands apart from time because He created EVERYTHING! He created TIME!
Therefore there is:
NO END and NO BEGINNING with Almighty God!


“I AM”
The Creator of the Universe told Moses.
“Tell them:
I AM has sent you.”-Exodus


“I AM
The Alpha and The Omega,”
says the Lord.”
-Revelation 1:8 KJV
The New Covenant or New Testament was originally written in the Greek language. The first letter in the Greek alphabet is: “Alpha.” Like-wise, the final letter in the Greek alphabet is “Omega.” Therefore, it might be clearer in English to say:


I AM The “A” and The “Z,”
The First and The Last,
The Beginning and The End.
-Revelation 22:13 CJB
WHY IS UNDERSTANDING THE GOD IS ABOVE AND BEYOND TIME SO IMPORTANT? WELL, just think of it:
He was there in the beginning.
He will still be there in the end.
And He is even there in the in-between times.


“I AM the Alpha and the Omega,”
says the Lord God,
“Who was,
Who is,
and Who is to come,
The Almighty!”
-Revelation 1: 8 NASB






Recently, while I was visiting a close friend, she just happened to be on the Internet looking at a website called:
Naturally Curly.com


All of the sudden she just busted out, “Sandy, I gotta read you this comment:


'Everything will be okay in the end.


If it's not okay,
It's not the end!'”


“Hey, that's really good. Who's that by?” I asked.


But there wasn't a regular name given, only one the user name: God-Made-Me-A-Curly-Wonder.
So, if by chance you happened to be out there listening, God-Made-Me-A-Curly-Wonder, thank you so much for the wonderful quote, and I hope you don't mind me using it.
In fact, I think it is so good, I'd like to quote God-Made-Me-A-Curly-Wonder's wisdom again:
“Everything will be okay in the end.
If it's not okay,
It's not the end!”
The BIBLE says in Romans chapter 8 verse 28:
All things work together for the good
for those who love the LORD
for the called according to His purposes.

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SONG: IN YOUR TIME


In YOUR Time
In YOUR Time
YOU make all things beautiful
In YOUR Time


LORD my life to you I bring;
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing,
In Your time.


In YOUR Time
In YOUR Time
YOU make all things beautiful
In YOUR Time


LORD, please show me every day,
As YOU're teaching me YOUR way,
That YOU do just what YOU say
In YOUR time.
LORD my life to you I bring;
May each song I have to sing
Be to You a lovely thing,
In Your time.

Let me quote that verse of Scripture again, and pay close attention to how many things God says work together for good.


All things work together for the good
for those who love the LORD
for the called according to His purposes.


Notice how many things God says work together for good. What did that verse of Scripture say? SOME things work out for good? MOST things work out for our good. No!, The BIBLE says:
A-double L!


ALL things work together for good
for those who love the LORD,
for the called according to His purposes.


Do you love the LORD GOD today? Are you the called according to His purposes? Then this is a sure promise to you from Almighty God!


However, there maybe someone out there who would say to me: “Sandy Lynn, I don't know if I am called according to His purposes?”


Well, first of all, let me clarify that if you know the LORD in your heart personally, then you are called according to His purposes?”


If you know HIM, you know that you know HIM, because His Spirit testifies within in you that you are a child of God. And since the calling of God is irrevocable, once you are His child, you remain His child, and His purpose for creating you stands. Nothing or no one can change that!


Here again we can look back to Romans chapter 8, in fact, if you have your Bible there handy, just turn to Romans 8. And go to verse 28 first:
ALL things work together for good
for those who love the LORD,
for the called according to His purposes.
Now skip down to verse 31 and notice what the BIBLE says:


What then shall we say to these things?
If God be for us
Who can be against us!


Now read on further to the last two verses of Romans chapter 8, verses 38-39:

I am convinced that
neither death nor life,
nor angles, nor principalities,
nor things present, nor things to come,
nor powers,
nor height, nor depth,
nor any other created thing;
shall be able to separate us
from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

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SONG: THE WONDERFUL LOVE OF GOD!


I am persuaded to believe
That you can't separate us
From the wonderful love of God!
While in this simple world we trod.


Neither height nor depth, nor principalities,
Things present or things to come!


And though the Devil hate us
He can never separate us
From the wonderful love of God!

Or maybe you don't love the LORD, because you don't know Him.
You can know Him. It's as easy as A, B, C –you just add the “me!”


A=ADMIT
B=BELIEVE
C=CONFESS and allow God to CLEAN YOU UP


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


Perhaps, you do know Him, but something has happened in your life and you don't know if you want to entrust yourself to Him any more?
If that is your case this program today should help you a great deal, so keep on listening, or you can call in---


Can what we choose to do or not do have any bearing on God' overall purpose and plans for our lives when we understand that
B. GOD STANDS APART FROM EVERYTHING?


Not in that He is aloof, or distant. Just that He was and then He spoke everything into existence. It is by Him that we live and breathe and have our being.


For by Him all things were created,
both in the Heavens and on earth,
viable and inviable,
whether thrones or dominions
or rulers or authorities
--all things have been created
by Him and for Him.
And He is before all things,
and in Him all things hold together.
-Colossians 1:16-17 NASB


-------What do you think?-----
Can our plans get in God's way when He's got the whole world in His hands?

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HE's Got The Whole World In HIS Hands!


He's got the whole world in His hands!
He's got the whole WIDE world in His hands!
He's got the whole world in His hands!
He's got the whole world in His hands!


He's got the little bitty babies in His hands!


He's got the Papa's and the Mama's in His hands!


He's got the brothers and the sisters in His hands!


He's got the whole world in His hands!

No one and no thing can thwart the purposes of God in anything!
Likewise, no one and no thing can change the purpose of God in your life either –not even you!


Now, I already know right now what some of you are thinking:
“What about FREE WILL, Sandy Lynn?”


All right, let's talk about Free Will.


Of course, we all have the freedom to do as we please, because we are created in God's image. But, we are NOT little gods! You see what often we neglect to understand is that God also has the freedom to do as He pleases. And remember, He has the major advantages:


He is above time. Therefore, He knows exactly what will happen and when, before time.


He also is above every created thing: that includes all of creation. There is no “Mother Nature” --only Almighty God. And He is also God over you, and everybody else, for that matter. So, there is no circumstances that He is not aware of –it's impossible. There is no happenings in this universe that He does not allow –that is also impossible. He is God and ONLY He is God!


Job found this out when he started complaining about his life's circumstances. If you need to be enlightened on this just open up the Bible to Job chapters 38 though 41.
Listen to what the LORD God says to Job at the beginning of chapter 40:
Then the LORD said to Job,
“Will the faultfinder contend with the Almighty?
Let him who reproves God answer it.”


Then Job answered the LORD and said,
“Behold, I am insignificant; what can I reply to Thee?
I lay my hand on my mouth.
Once I have spoken,
and I will not answer;
Even twice, and I shall add no more.”


Then the LORD answered Job out of the storm, and said,
“Now gird up thy loins like a man;
I will ask you and you instruct Me.


Will you really annul My judgment?


Will you condemn Me that you may be justified?
Or do you have an arm like God,
And can you thunder with a voice like His?”
-Job 40:1-9 NASB


Almighty God is above Time.
Almighty God is above Every created thing.
Almighty God is above your thoughts, as well.
To see this most clearly, we go back to the book of Job 39:36
Who has put wisdom in the innermost being,
Or has given understanding to the mind?
Job 39:36 NASB






For the word of God is living
and active and sharper than any two-edged sword,
and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit,
of both joints and marrow,
and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.


Hebrews 4:12-13 NASB


You see, God actually knows and understands us better than we know or understand our own self. Therefore, He knows exactly what circumstances will change your mind to do His will. And He has the power to put those circumstances into motion in exactly the perfect timing.


So, you may not like God's plan for your life, but that doesn't matter. In the end, you will wind up doing it anyway. His will will be done!


God is above time. Psalms 139 says that He saw your unformed body in your mother's womb. And further it goes on to say that He numbered your days before there was yet one of them. He actually ordained the number of days for each of our lives, before we were even born!


In other words, He's got your number Baby! And when your number is up –that's it!


You see there is nothing you can do or say or think that can change the amount that He loves you.


So think about it? Can your plans really get in God's way? Can anything you can do, think, or say mess with HIS plans for your life?


Just what do you think you can do that will shock HIM? He already knows the end from the beginning?


Just what circumstance in your life is it that you think blows God away?
Just how far do you run and how long to be away from His will for your life?


I'm gonna sing a song God gave me concerning this that quotes Scripture:

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Why O LORD?
Do You make us wonder
From YOUR ways
O LORD?


And harden our hearts
So we don't revere YOU?
We don't revere YOU.


Yet, O LORD,
YOU are our Father.
We are the clay.
YOU are The Potter.


We're all the works of hands,
O Look on us we pray.
For we are all YOUR p-e-ple!


YOU are The Potter.
We are the Clay.

The Lord used King David the Psalmist, perhaps after he killed Bathsheba's husband, so that he could marry her, to write these words in Psalm 139:


Where can I go from Your Spirit?
Or where can I flee from Your presence?
If I ascend to Heaven, Thou art there.
If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, Thou art there.
If I take the wings of the dawn,
If I dwell in the remotest part of the sea,
even there Thy hand will lay hold of me.


If I say, “Surely the darkness will overwhelm me,
And the light around me will be night.”
Even the night is as bright as the day,
Darkness and light are alike to Thee.
-Psalm 139: 7-12 NASB


Job, really sums it up the best, I think. In Job 42:1


Then Job answered the LORD, and said,
“I know that Thou canst do all things.
And that no purpose of Thine can be thwarted.”


Don't you see, it's impossible. You can't change God's plans. And you can't fool Him.


Now you might could fool your Mama? I don't know? I know I couldn't ever fool mine. Mama somehow always seemed to know exactly what was going on. I couldn't fool her. So, I rarely tired. I had a good Mama. I a very good Mama.


And you might be able to hide something from your Papa. That's pretty hard to do. I remember my delight as a Mama watching my husband, Dan's interaction with our girls. He used to watch and catch our girls just looking at something and thinking about doing something they shouldn't and he could tell it right quick:


“Don't even THINK about it!”


He said to them with alarm! To remind them what Jesus said that even thinking wrong was sinful!


And that is exactly what I would say to you today, if you are in the midst of doing wrong, or considering an attempt to run away from God's plan for your life:
“Don't even THINK about it!”


Almighty God is above Time.
Almighty God is above Every created thing.
Almighty God is above your thoughts, as well.


You can't run far enough or long enough to get away. Because when you get to where you are going, God and His plan for your life, will still be there to meet you!


Romans 9:16 says:
So then it does not depend on the man who wills,
or the man who runs,
but on God, Who has mercy.


Aren't you glad God has mercy on us?


Aren't you thankful for His incredible eternal love?


I know it may be hard for some of you to believe, but do you realize that there is nothing you can do that can make God love you less. It is impossible for you to do anything that will affect His love for you.


Don't you see that He chose to love you knowing all of your life, the end from the beginning?


What do you think?
The line is open now to call in--


He is good God!

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SONG: PSALM 136
Give thanks to the Lord for He is good
And His love endures for-ev-er!


Give thanks to the Lord for He is good
And His love endures for-ev-er!


He is good! He is good!
And His love will for-ev-er endure.
We will bless His name
As we all proclaim
His love endures for ever.


Give thanks to the Lord for He is good
And His love endures for-ev-er!


Give thanks to the Lord for He is good
And His love endures for-ev-er!


He made the moon and the stars at night
And His love endures for-ev-er!
With outstretched arm
And by His might!
And His love endures for-ev-er!


He is good! He is good!
And His love will for-ev-er endure.
We will bless His name
As we all proclaim
His love endures for ever.


He is good! He is good!
And His love will for-ev-er endure.
We will bless His name
As we all proclaim
His love endures for ever.

Romans chapter 9 verse 17 talks about how God raised Pharoah up for a purpose:


For the Scripture says to Pharaoh,
'For this very purpose I raised you up,
to demonstrate My power in you,
and that My name might be proclaimed
throughout the whole earth.'”


In Exodus we will find this very interesting story. As most of you know Moses was Hebrew, but through miraculous intervention, he was not only spared (when most of the boys his age were killed), but he was also trained and educated by the best Egypt had to offer in Pharaoh's palace.


You see Pharaoh had first ordered the Hebrew mid-wives to kill all the male Hebrew babies at birth. When that plan didn't work, Pharaoh ordered that all the Hebrew male babies be thrown into the Nile River. But, it was Pharaoh's own daughter who drew Moses the Deliverer out to the Nile and Pharaoh raised him up in his own palace!


If Pharaoh, King of Egypt, could not change God's plans, but rather fulfilled them, who do you think you are to say you can change God's plan for your life –you can't!


You see our plans can never ever get in God's way!


Now, let's consider Moses' life. He grew up and then trying to be the Deliverer in his own way and in his own time, he actually killed an Egyptian, who was beating a Hebrew slave. When this was found out, Moses fled, in fear of Pharaoh to Midian. And there Moses stayed 40 years in the desert herding another man's sheep.
I'm sure Moses probably thought that his life as Deliverer of the Hebrew people was over. But God's plans for his life were not over! At God's appointed time, he called Moses to Himself through a burning bush.


You know, sometimes we human beings are funny creatures I'm sure in God's sight. First Moses couldn't wait to right the wrongs and was doing so the wrong way and in the wrong timing. And then when God called him to go deliver His people, Moses didn't want to go!


Moses said that he couldn't speak very well, so how could he go to Pharaoh and say: “Let my people go!” Well, God knew ahead of time that would be his complaint so he prepared Aaron, Moses' brother to come and help him.


Now just think about that one for a minute. I have read this story through at least 20 times or more and I never saw this before. Moses left Egypt in a rush 40 years earlier, and there is no record of his having informed Aaron “Hey, I'll see you later, I'm gonna run off to Midian.” Yet, God sent Moses' brother Aaron out to the desert where he is and is ready and willing to stand by his side! Don't you see by this how amazing God is. He is really something! Don't you understand that God had to call Aaron out to start coming to Moses beforehand. He called Aaron and had him already coming to help meet Moses' complaint! You see, The Most High God really does know the end from the beginning!


God says to us through Isaiah 43:13 (NASB):


Even from eternity
I AM He;
and there is none who can deliver out of My hand;
I act
and who can reverse it?

_____________________________________________________________________________
Story about how I met Mr. W. in Edmond Wal-Mart when I had the flu in 2002.


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COPYRIGHT: WWJD MEDIA
AUTHOR: Sandy Lynn Patton
RIGHTS RESTRICTION: May be reprinted and distributed for non-profit use only with credit given and used as a whole
ALL OTHER RIGHTS RESERVED