Divine Appointments

Nov03
by Michael King on November 3, 2012 at 1:06 pm
Posted In: being spirit led
Divine Appointments

Luke says,

“And the angel of the Lord spake unto Philip, saying, Arise, and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.”

 Acts 8:26

Divine appointments are Spirit-led meetings that give us the opportunity to be used in God’s service for the advancement of His Kingdom. Men and women of God who had divine appointments accomplished most of the great works of the Bible. For instance, Philip was told that he should go down towards Gaza into the desert.  At first, this is all the information that God gave to Philip and did not explain more.  A very interesting point is that the Holy Spirit did not feel it necessary to explain His plans or purposes to Philip but simply expected complete and immediate obedience.  It was only after Philip obeyed the first command of God that the Spirit spoke to him again and told him to join himself to the Ethiopian eunuch’s chariot.

Divine appointments often run contrary to natural reasoning

God was able to position Philip at the exact place to minister to the Ethiopian official because he obeyed immediately and without question.  As the eunuch was reading a prophetic passage in Isaiah, Philip was there to share the message of salvation when he was open to hear it.  Moreover, when Philip told him about water baptism they even happened to be passing by a small body of water (how often does that happen in the desert?) and the eunuch was baptized in the name of Jesus.

Our Father carefully orchestrates divine appointments

This meeting was not a random set of events but rather a carefully orchestrated series of actions that led to a divine appointment of biblical proportions. God foreknew that the Eunuch would be passing by a certain place at a certain time reading a certain passage.  All that was necessary for his salvation was for God to find a willing and obedient servant who would be there waiting as his chariot passed by.

Here is a truth:

“True obedience to God is not just obeying what you know of the scriptures but being available to obey the voice of God when He speaks.”

Bible knowledge is useless if we do not make ourselves available when God gives us assignments to do.  So often it is not who is qualified that accomplished God’s will, but the person who actually obeys.

Timing is everything with divine appointments

When God speaks to us through His still, small voice, He expects that we will listen, hear and obey on time.  Our Father simply gives us enough direction to begin the journey.  When we take a step of faith and obey our Lord’s command, He reveals the next step.  This is the walk of faith.

Often times His directions run counter to what our natural minds think is appropriate. Philip was an evangelist whom found great success in Samaria.  Based on that success, Philip might have assumed He should just go to the next city.  No one would fault the Evangelist for making this logical choice; except God.  Instead, Philip listened to the voice of God and stood at a certain place in the desert.

Thumbing a ride in the desert

A great man, an Ethiopian eunuch, happened along and God told His servant to hitch a ride.  So happens that just at that time the eunuch was reading a verse in Isaiah that spoke about Jesus. After he asked Philip what it meant, the Spirit-led servant of God shared the gospel with him.  Philip, through that one “divine appointment” likely shared the good news to more people than he did for the rest of his life.  Today in Ethiopia, even though Muslim countries surround it, there still remains over 30 million Christians.

A divine appointment is not always easy

Divine appointments consist of placement, timing, and faith.  You have to be where God wants you to be at the time that God tells you to be there.  Furthermore, by faith, you have to obey and do what God directs.  Often times this is uncomfortable because obedience may involve approaching a person and speaking something God has dropped into your heart that may not make a whole lot of sense.  By faith, you must speak or do whatever God goads you to do, trusting that He knows the full situation.

A pastor told a story that he was waiting to make a phone call at a telephone booth one evening.  The man using it was very angry and talking roughly to someone on the phone.  This man stood huge and powerfully built like a NFL linebacker.  The Holy Spirit goaded the pastor to tell that man “You’re afraid!” The pastor, fearful himself, wondered if saying those words to that big man was a good idea!  As the man stepped out of the phone booth and glared at the minister the pastor blurted, “You’re afraid!” 

The man looked stunned and then started to break down and cry.  He said, “Yes, I always feel afraid.”

The right place, time, and word

Through that act of obedience, a soul in need heard the voice of God. The pastor talked and prayed for that man and he went away greatly relieved and full of joy. A few words spoken to the right person, at the right time, makes a world of difference. Isn’t is wonderful that we can be chosen to carry out such divine appointments!

Just as there are divine appointments there are divine un-appointments.  God joins us by divine appointments for a time until He has need of you elsewhere.  Jesus leads you to minister to certain people for a time, but then leads you to minister elsewhere.  Saints learn to become sensitive to God’s will in these matters through prayer and experience.  Our Father teaches us when to be bold and go forward and when to be wise and withdraw.

Add some divine appointments to your schedule today!

In conclusion, God will give you divine appointments through His Holy Spirit as soon as you open up your schedule.  God has much work to do in the kingdom of heaven and needs many like Philip.  If you are truly God’s servant I encourage you to be available for service at a moment’s notice.  Jesus is the master of our time, finances, and earthly obligations.  Trust God’s voice and see miracles happen in your life and others’! 

Kari Jobe’s Testimony

Podcast: A Successful Day In God

The goal for today is a successful today! Worrying about the future or fretting over the past doesn’t gain us what we need to gain today. And the way we make this day successful is by living every moment – moment by moment – in God’s presence and His love. Listen as we discuss how to have a beautiful and successful day today. . .

Read “Set Jesus Free Part One”

Suggested book: “Smith Wigglesworth, A Man Who Walked With God.” 

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On This Wise

Nov03
by Michael King on November 3, 2012 at 12:45 pm
Posted In: revelation
Wise

On This Wise

God says on this wise,

“Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost.”

Matthew 1:18

We all know this story and have heard how the Holy Spirit over shadowed Mary and she became pregnant with Jesus. What is fascinating to me is that we seldom stop to really meditate upon what actually happened and grasp the true significance of it.

Mary was betrothed to Joseph, which in those days was a binding agreement, and she was not considered a single girl any longer. Moreover, virginity was still a very sacred thing. Yet, God impregnated a woman promised to another man and then said the following,

“But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins.”

Matthew 1:20,21

God does not do ungodly things

Stopping to think about these events, one could make the case that God’s actions were…uh…ungodly. Of course, being God, His actions could not be un-biblical or even sinful. If that is the case, I believe that we must consider why these things could and did take place.

Normally, in ancient Israel, a woman found with child in a similar situation would be stoned. This is why Joseph considered breaking off the marriage quietly so that she would not be punished. However, God said to that Joseph should not fear to take her to wife even though she was with child. Fact of the matter was that, in this situation, the normal rules did not apply simply because God said so.

Do you really believe God is sovereign?

In Christianity today we say that God is sovereign, but our doctrine declares He is not. We are taught that there are actually things God cannot do. People say that, because if He took such actions, He would violate His own word. Since, logically, God cannot break His own law, even though we don’t say it, we limit God to what we understand. However, in the example of the birth of Jesus Christ God steps in, does the unthinkable, and calls it holy. This indicates that there must be something we do not understand or grasp about God.

God will not be limited

This is a very central truth that we must try to grasp:

“God cannot and will not be limited to our understanding of His word.”

 
Every time we say God cannot do something and then He does, it is our understanding which was flawed.  The Holy Spirit is supreme, and we must modify our beliefs to accept Him on His own terms.  All too often our doctrine limits what we will accept. If the Holy Spirit does something outside our doctrinal box we reject Him, sometimes calling what He does of Satan.

Stop to consider what it took to be holy men of God

We talk glibly about the deeds that God did through the great men of the Bible, but rarely stop to consider what it must have been like to actually live such events. Furthermore, what was it like for the people who saw them perform these God led missions? Many of these heroes of faith, were they to come in our generation, would be called heretics. In an effort to systematize and analyze the scriptures, we have not left enough room for God to be God.

The Bible is a record of firsts

The Bible is a record of firsts. There was a first time God breathed the breath of life into Adam. A first time God destroyed all that held the breath of life through a flood. A first time God confused the languages of the world. Moreover, a first time God’s people spake with other tongues as the Spirit gave the utterance. The first time God told Abraham, the father of our faith, to sacrifice his only son. A first time God commanded His only son to die in our place on the cross of Calvary.  In fact, one of the most common characteristics of God is that whatever He does is unique.

God does it His way

So it was with the virgin birth. The way in which God choose to bring forth His only begotten Son had all the ear marks of His former miracles. A child was born from a woman who had never known a man, another first. A man was told to marry and women with child, another first. The king of kings was born in a manger among barnyard animals; you guessed it, another first!

Is God still the same today? Do not the scriptures state this very fact in the book of Malachi,

“For I am the LORD, I change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed.”

Malachi 3:6

Get ready for another first

What if our Father chooses to do another first in our day? Does our belief system allow enough room for God to be and do as He pleases? Or do we only pay lip service the concept of a sovereign God? Does God still get to be God in our lives? Will we accept what He does just because of who He is? This central question becomes more and more important to us as we approach the coming events.

I desire to know God for who He truly is. Recognizing that my concepts about my Father are still childlike, I look forward to knowing Him more as I mature. I embrace the fact that my understanding will change as I experience Him.

Here is a truth if you can receive it:

“Even those intimately acquainted with God barely see the fringes of who He truly is.

God’s people are not being prepared to navigate the deep waters that we are entering. We are not being taught to allow God to be God. Mostly, our doctrine is derived from what God did hundreds and not what He is saying today. Thus His people are unaware and ill prepared to receive Him. Many will stumble and fall if He comes in a manor they have not been conditioned to receive.

A new and wonderful revelation

Brethren, the Holy Spirit is moving, and with Him is coming a new and wonderful revelation of who God is. We are on the cusp of a third reformation. Those who will embrace His Spirit will soar on eagle’s wings; while those who refuse His visitation will persecute it and do their best to destroy this holy thing. It is up to us, as watchmen on the wall, to obey God and declare what is surely coming. If we neglect to do so we fail our brethren as the seers of this generation.

Holy War by Alicia Keys

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