GOOD DAY beautiful people,
I hope that you’re all well and living out your God given purposes? I want to encourage you all to take that bold step of faith through saying no to fear, in order to accomplish your God set aims and objectives. Trust that God is able to do ALL that He say’s He’ll do in your life, and through your life. Today’s post is all about walking along your OWN path. It isn’t uncommon for many believers to seek answers about their future from other individuals, when God has already given them a specific word unique to their own life circumstances. I think a lot of the time we do this because we are afraid of the future which is unknown to us, and we don’t like not being in total control. It’s also scary to do things which are not commonly done, as most humans actually like to blend in with the crowd, rather than stick out like a sore thumb.
When reading the book of Ezra and Nehemiah it became evident to me that BOTH men had a passion for the restoration of the temple in Jerusalem. Both men trusted God for deliverance, but guess what??? Even though both men had the same destination in mind, they each used slightly different methods to reach the same end result (walking in obedience to God). The unique paths which each man took BOTH involved the hand of God at work in their lives.
Ezra 7:6 ~ “This Ezra was a scribe who was well versed in the Law of Moses, which the Lord, the God of Israel, had given to the people of Israel. He came up to Jerusalem from Babylon, and the king gave him everything he asked for, because the gracious hand of the Lord his God was on him.”
Ezra 8:21-23 ~ “And there by the Ahava Canal, I gave orders for all of us to fast and humble ourselves before our God. We prayed that he would give us a safe journey and protect us, our children, and our goods as we traveled. For I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen to accompany us and protect us from enemies along the way. After all, we had told the king, “Our God’s hand of protection is on all who worship him, but his fierce anger rages against those who abandon him.” So we fasted and earnestly prayed that our God would take care of us, and he heard our prayer.”
Ezra 8:30-32 ~ “So the priests and the Levites accepted the task of transporting these treasures of silver and gold to the Temple of our God in Jerusalem. We broke camp at the Ahava Canal on April 19 and started off to Jerusalem. And the gracious hand of our God protected us and saved us from enemies and bandits along the way. So we arrived safely in Jerusalem, where we rested for three days.”
Nehemiah 2:1-11 ~ “Early the following spring, in the month of Nisan, during the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes’ reign, I was serving the king his wine. I had never before appeared sad in his presence. So the king asked me, “Why are you looking so sad? You don’t look sick to me. You must be deeply troubled.” Then I was terrified, but I replied, “Long live the king! How can I not be sad? For the city where my ancestors are buried is in ruins, and the gates have been destroyed by fire.” The king asked, “Well, how can I help you?” With a prayer to the God of heaven, I replied, “If it please the king, and if you are pleased with me, your servant, send me to Judah to rebuild the city where my ancestors are buried.” The king, with the queen sitting beside him, asked, “How long will you be gone? When will you return?” After I told him how long I would be gone, the king agreed to my request. I also said to the king, “If it please the king, let me have letters addressed to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, instructing them to let me travel safely through their territories on my way to Judah. And please give me a letter addressed to Asaph, the manager of the king’s forest, instructing him to give me timber. I will need it to make beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself.” And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me. When I came to the governors of the province west of the Euphrates River, I delivered the king’s letters to them. The king, I should add, had sent along army officers and horsemen to protect me. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard of my arrival, they were very displeased that someone had come to help the people of Israel. So I arrived in Jerusalem. Three days later,”
^^^ Both men were used by God, and both men arrived in Jerusalem safely. Nehemiah had officers to go along with him on his journey for protection, but Ezra did not. Yet both men were obedient and following the will of God for their lives.
Also when it comes to marriage God works in different ways, and uses various tools to bring two people together. Therefore we shouldn’t beat people down for doing things differently to us. If God uses online dating to bring a couple together in holy matrimony, it is God’s doing and it’s marvellous to see. And if God causes two people to bump into each other in public and they get married, this is also the marvellous hand of God at work. It is all God, and we shouldn’t limit God’s power to our own ideas of how we ‘think’ He should work. For example in the case of Isaac, God brought Rebekah to him without him having to do anything. And in the case of Ruth she made her self available to Boaz in a godly fashion, by asking him to be her family redeemer. And in the end, BOTH marriages resulted in the birth of the Messiah, as Isaac, Rebekah, Boaz, and Ruth, are all ancestors of Jesus Christ.
Matthew 1:1-5 ~ “This is a record of the ancestors of Jesus the Messiah, a descendant of David and of Abraham: Abraham was the father of Isaac. Isaac was the father of Jacob. Jacob was the father of Judah and his brothers. Judah was the father of Perez and Zerah (whose mother was Tamar). Perez was the father of Hezron. Hezron was the father of Ram. Ram was the father of Amminadab. Amminadab was the father of Nahshon. Nahshon was the father of Salmon. Salmon was the father of Boaz (whose mother was Rahab). Boaz was the father of Obed (whose mother was Ruth). Obed was the father of Jesse.”
Genesis 24:2-4 ~ “One day Abraham said to his oldest servant, the man in charge of his household, “Take an oath by putting your hand under my thigh. Swear by the Lord, the God of heaven and earth, that you will not allow my son to marry one of these local Canaanite women. Go instead to my homeland, to my relatives, and find a wife there for my son Isaac.”
Genesis 24:61-67 ~ “Then Rebekah and her servant girls mounted the camels and followed the man. So Abraham’s servant took Rebekah and went on his way. Meanwhile, Isaac, whose home was in the Negev, had returned from Beer-lahai-roi. One evening as he was walking and meditating in the fields, he looked up and saw the camels coming. When Rebekah looked up and saw Isaac, she quickly dismounted from her camel. “Who is that man walking through the fields to meet us?” she asked the servant. And he replied, “It is my master.” So Rebekah covered her face with her veil. Then the servant told Isaac everything he had done. And Isaac brought Rebekah into his mother Sarah’s tent, and she became his wife. He loved her deeply, and she was a special comfort to him after the death of his mother.”
Ruth 3:1-4 ~ “One day Naomi said to Ruth, “My daughter, it’s time that I found a permanent home for you, so that you will be provided for. Boaz is a close relative of ours, and he’s been very kind by letting you gather grain with his young women. Tonight he will be winnowing barley at the threshing floor. Now do as I tell you—take a bath and put on perfume and dress in your nicest clothes. Then go to the threshing floor, but don’t let Boaz see you until he has finished eating and drinking. Be sure to notice where he lies down; then go and uncover his feet and lie down there. He will tell you what to do.”
Ruth 3:9 ~ “Who are you?” he asked. “I am your servant Ruth,” she replied. “Spread the corner of your covering over me, for you are my family redeemer.”
Ruth 4:9-10 ~ “Then Boaz said to the elders and to the crowd standing around, “You are witnesses that today I have bought from Naomi all the property of Elimelech, Kilion, and Mahlon. And with the land I have acquired Ruth, the Moabite widow of Mahlon, to be my wife. This way she can have a son to carry on the family name of her dead husband and to inherit the family property here in his hometown. You are all witnesses today.”
God is not going to work in the exact same way in your life, as He did in someone else’s life. This is because we’re all unique beings, with paths carved out by God which are also unique! When you stand before the throne of God to give account, it’ll be just you and God, not you God and your pastor, or you, God and a family member. This is why it’s super important to know God for yourself, and to know His will for your own life! Yes it’s ok to seek another sibling in Christ for wisdom, but it’s even wiser to seek God our Creator about personal matters, because He has seen the end from the beginning and knows you best! Please remember that God has given certain individuals wisdom as a gift, and I’m not saying that we should ignore them, but what we should strive to do under all circumstances, is to seek God’s will for our lives, and to consistently communicate with our Heavenly Father.
Colossians 1:9 ~ “So we have not stopped praying for you since we first heard about you. We ask God to give you complete knowledge of his will and to give you spiritual wisdom and understanding.”
Love and blessings from
Christian Lady After God’s Own Heart 💜