by Ken Turner | Faith
Don’t underestimate how powerful these seven words are… AM I IN THE PLACE OF GOD?
“Am I in the place of God?” That 
seems like a weird response from Joseph in Genesis 50:19-21. He was responding to the question, “Will you please forgive us?” And he responded with a question… am I in the place of God. Don’t you hate it when people respond to a question with a question! =)
Earlier in the book of Genesis Joseph experienced a massive trial. His brothers became jealous of him, dug a pit and threw him in it to be abandoned but changed their mind and sold him as a slave. He ended up serving Pharaoh and was used in mighty ways. The people experienced years of famine in the land and years of plenty and God used Joseph as an instrument in saving the lives of the people from starvation.
So… fast forward to years and years later. Joseph’s dad died and his brothers made dad a death bed promise that they would go make things right with their brother Joseph. So they showed up and said, “Joseph, will you forgive us?” It’s important to try to grasp the gravity of the question. “Will you forgive us for betraying you as our brother, selling you as a slave and causing you to live out your life separated from us and dad?” And Joseph responded, “And Joseph said unto them, Fear not: for am I in the place of God? But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive.”
I’m Not in The Place of God: Here is What That Really Means
- God has a plan for my life.
- God’s plan includes trials.
- Trials often include pain inflicted by other people.
- I can choose to become bitter or better.
- When I choose to live in forgiveness God uses trials to give me a better life than I could have ever experienced if life would have been easy.
Whatever is happening in your life, God wants to use it for good. He wants to use it to create a better life than you could ever imagine. He can do that if you live in forgiveness. Living in forgiveness doesn’t mean “it’s okay that someone hurt you.” Living in forgiveness means, “I’m not taking the place of God. He has a plan for my life and it often includes trials. I will forgive others and choose to let God handle the details while I move forward with no bitterness, choosing to be better because of my trials.”
Read: Genesis 50
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Ken Turner | Faith
A few years ago I was in a hurry to get to the church for a youth activity and feeling a little crunched
for time. My vehicle had a computer that tells you miles per gallon, length of trip and DTE. My gas gauge was pretty low but I thought, “I can beat the system.” I switched the computer to the DTE setting, which of course tells me my Distance to Empty. I watched the numbers as they dropped to 7 miles to empty, 6, 5 and on down to 2 miles to empty as I whipped into the parking lot! Once again… a victory was won! I was at the church on time for the activity and did not have to waste precious time to stop for gas.
I thought later, “Wouldn’t it be interesting if we had a DTE gauge installed to monitor our walk with God?” So many times I have found myself in such a hurry to do the next thing for God that I was convinced I could not take time for God. It would be so foolish to start out a trip with your vehicle on empty because you just don’t have time for a fuel stop! I am afraid many Christians start too many days with God running on empty because we convince ourselves we do not have time to spiritually fuel up. Sound familiar? What about your devotional life, prayer life, reading or even exercise? Are you taking care of yourself? Maybe it’s time to recommit to spend more time taking care of the things that produce the energy I need to do the work of God. How about you?
Here are five Bible verses about spiritual renewal.
2 Corinthians 4:16 – For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.
Isaiah 40:31 – But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
Romans 12:2 – And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.
2 Corinthians 4:1 – Therefore seeing we have this ministry, as we have received mercy, we faint not;
Psalm 51:10 – Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
Like this:
Like Loading...
by Ken Turner | Faith
Early in my youth ministry career our family made a move to Indianapolis, Indiana where I served as a youth pastor for over ten years. We decided to rent a small house out in a farming community until we learned the area and could decide where we would later purchase a home. The first night in the little farm house we were awakened early in the morning because a cow had gotten out of the pasture and was mooing right outside our bedroom window. After a couple minutes a person was knocking on our door to tell us they almost hit a cow in the road. Turns out, there were cows out all over the place! I called the farmer and he came to round them up and get them back in the pasture. I ended up calling him several times the first few days we lived there until he found the break in the fence where they were escaping and was able to fix it. I felt bad about bothering the farmer but when I called he’d say, “No problem, I’ll be right over, we were just sitting here looking at each other.” That always made me laugh. Of course he was joking but it put a picture in my mind of life on the farm where things were so laid back that people could just sit around and talk… or not talk… and just look at each other.
Sometimes when we try to pray it feels more like the experience of the farmer. We want it to be an easy, comfortable and smooth conversation with God but it feels like we are stuck just staring into space… not knowing the words to say.
But Jesus said prayer was important. It’s actually a very important part of our relationship with God. Read what Jesus said to His disciples in Matthew 26:40. And He came unto the disciples and found them asleep, and said unto Peter, “What, could ye not watch with Me one hour?”
Jesus actually said it should be possible for us to spend an hour in prayer. Have you ever spent one uninterrupted hour in prayer with God? No distractions, no interruptions… just you and God… in deep conversation.
It is possible to have a high-quality prayer relationship with God. Possibly one of the biggest challenges is just knowing “what to talk about” during your prayer time. The Bible gives us answers to many elements of prayer so let’s take a look at some of them.
Here’s a 30 Prayer Plan for You
*Over the next seven days, commit to spending 30 minutes each day in prayer by spending 5 minutes on each of these elements of prayer. Find a quiet place and enjoy some uninterrupted time with God.
- Praise: Praise God for who He is. Focus on His character and His traits as the one true God.
Psalm 150:1-2, “Praise ye the Lord. Praise God in his sanctuary: praise him in the firmament of his power. Praise him for his mighty acts: praise him according to his excellent greatness.”
- Thanksgiving: Thank Him for what He has done and is doing in your life.
Psalm 100:4, “Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.”
- Intercession: Pray for others and for their needs.
I Timothy 2:1, “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”
- Supplication: Pray for your own needs asking Him to meet those needs.
Philippians 4:6, “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
- Confession: Confess your sins and ask Him for forgiveness.
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.”
- Listening: Sit quiet. Listen to His voice after asking Him to speak to you.
Psalm 46:10, “Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.”
Ken Turner
Learn more at https://kenturnerministries.org/walking-with-god/
Email me at kenturner@highimpactteens.org
Like this:
Like Loading...
