Genesis 3:4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die:

You understand that God has commanded you to love the Lord with all your heart. In 1 Corinthians 13:5, we learn that love thinketh no evil. This means that you cannot harbor any thoughts in your mind against God that HE is capable of doing any evil. This is exactly what Satan did with Eve. Eve communicated the command of God and Satan took those words and twisted them to cause Eve to think that God was holding back on her. Because of this deception, Eve demonstrated a lack of love towards God and sinned.

How often have you heard someone blame God for their problems. Maybe someone died and they shook their fist at God and said how can a loving God allow so-and-so to die. Mary and Martha did the same thing to Jesus after their brother Lazarus died. They told Jesus that if HE had come sooner that their brother would not have died. Jesus loved Lazarus and his sisters, but Mary and Martha did not unconditionally love Jesus back.

It is not easy to guard your mind against thinking evil about God and others. However, it is a battle that you must confront. Every time that you think evil of God and others, you must remember that you are to love the Lord with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself. You must then turn to God and ask HIM for the strength to take back your mind so that the thoughts that flow from your mind will be pure and right. As you put the things of God first in your mind, you will be free to truly love God with all your heart.

Acts 25:3 And desired favor against him, that he would send for him to Jerusalem, laying wait in the way to kill him.

Festus came to Jerusalem and the high priest and the chief of the Jews came to him and asked Festus to do a favor for them. They requested that Festus request that Paul be brought to Jerusalem to be tried there. The Jews knew that Festus was the next level of authority and that he should hear the case of Paul.

The Jews knew that they could not kill Paul as long as he was in prison. However, if the Romans were careless when they transported him to Jerusalem, then Paul would be killed and he no longer would be a bother to them. They hoped that by making a request that the trial be held in Jerusalem rather than Caesarea, that Festus would accept so as to cut down on the amount of travel that he needed to do.

Despite the well thought out plan, God foiled the plans of those who desired to harm HIS servant. The Jews had a plan that they thought would rid them of their number one enemy, but God ensured that their plan would not work. Their plan did not work because Festus chose to go to Caesarea and stand in judgment of Paul there.

Festus was not a man that feared the Lord. Nonetheless, God used Festus to protect Paul from the plans of the wicked. God had promised Paul that he would preach in Rome, and thus, it was not time for Paul to die. The enemy could have desired to kill Paul, but Paul was protected as long as he was pursuing the perfect will of God. Paul may have been in prison, but that did not stop God from continuing to guide and direct the steps of Paul. Paul may not have realized that there was a plan to kill him, but God did, and God directed the steps of Paul.

An angel of the Lord came to Mary and Joseph to show them what they were to do about their marriage and the birth of Jesus. An angel came and told Manoah and his wife that they were going to have a son and how they were to raise Samson. An angel came to Elijah and gave him food to eat and commanded him to eat because the journey that Elijah was about to take was to great for Elijah. These stories illustrate how God can use supernatural events to direct the steps of his people. However, God does not always use supernatural events.

When God desired Jacob to return to the Promised Land, God simply allowed Jacob to hear the sons of Laban talking about how they had no inheritance because Jacob had it all. When God was ready to use Joseph in Egypt, HE reminded the chief butler of the fact that Joseph had interpreted his dream. The chief butler could have remembered at any time, but God waited for the right time to remind the butler of Joseph. Two of the disciples of Christ chose to go to Emmaus after the death of Christ. Little did they know that because of that decision, they were going to enjoy fellowship and later dinner with the One whom they chose to serve.

God may chose to lead you by a pillar of fire, but HE also may chose to lead you by HIS still small voice. It is nice when God boldly proclaims HIS will for you in a way that everyone around you knows the direction God has for you. However, the still small voice of God can be deafening if you have trained yourself to hear God. The more time you spend adding knowledge of the ways of God, the easier it will be for you to be directed by God. When you place your life in the hands of God, God will be able to direct your steps by whatever means HE chooses to use.

Matthew 28:5 And the angel answered and said unto the women, Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified.

On the third day after the death of Jesus, Mary of Magdalene and the other Mary came to see Jesus’ body. When they reached the tomb, they found that the stone was rolled away and an angel of the Lord sitting upon the stone. This angel’s countenance caused the keepers to become like dead men but to the two women, they were able to receive instruction as to what they were to do.

These women had gone through a terrible experience in watching the death of their Lord. Yet nonetheless, this did not stop them from seeking Jesus. Any of the disciples could have gone to seek Jesus that morning but it was these women who decided to leave their place of hiding in order to seek that which they needed.

Because these two women were willing to leave their place of comfort in order to seek Jesus, they received instructions from the angel as to what they were to do next. These women had the joy of receiving clear direction for their lives and to hear the good news first that Christ was raised from the dead all because they allowed their desire to seek God to be greater than their desire for personal safety.

Not only did these women receive instruction from the angel to go tell the disciples that Jesus was raised from the dead, Jesus actually made an appearance to these women as they obeyed the angel’s instruction. These women sought Jesus and instead they received instruction as to what they were to do next. In obeying those instructions, they received what they initially were looking for. Rather than finding a dead body in a tomb, these women found a risen Savior who spoke with them and gave them comfort.

It does not matter what trials you face. It does not matter how strong the storms of life are blowing. You must follow the example of these women and continue to seek the Lord. Seeking the Lord will not always be easy. In fact, sometimes it may seem counterintuitive. When you seek the Lord, God can give you direction for your life. When you seek the Lord, God will reveal HIMSELF to you. God may not always reveal HIMSELF to you as you might expect, but if you are faithful to seek HIM, HE will give you the desires of your heart by making HIS presence known unto you.

You are a Christian and have a personal relationship with God. There will be times during your Christian walk that you will feel like you are in the valley of the shadow of death. You will feel alone; you will feel deserted. However, regardless of how you feel, you must never forget the God whom you have chosen to serve. Rather than allow yourself to sulk and dwell in your own self-pity, you must be proactive and you must learn to seek God during the difficult times.

If you fill your mind with the things of this world, when trial arise in your life, you will be consumed of yourself and you will not seek God as you should. If you fill your mind with the things of God by adding virtue to your life, you know that greater is HE that is in you than he that is of this world. The virtue that fills your mind will give you the strength to seek God during the storm and will see you through the storm to God’s perfect will.

Galatians 3:11 But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for, The just shall live by faith.

You are not saved by the law but by faith. While you are commanded to do good works, your good works will not save you. You can obey every law in the Bible but until you take a step of faith, you will not be innocent of your sins.

During the time of Jesus, the Pharisees and the Sadducees sought to be justified by the law. They obey their laws down to the last detailed. However, they were not any closer to God because of it. Yes, they received the praises of men. Nonetheless, they did not recognize Jesus for who HE really was and they crucified the One who they had been waiting for.

Because the Pharisees and Sadducees were so focused on the law and not on listening to the words of Christ, they missed the whole message. If you remain so focused upon the law, you will miss the opportunity to live by faith. Instead of focusing your attention upon being legalistic, you need to focus your attention on listening to the Holy Spirit. You will miss many blessings that could have been yours if you had just been willing to stop and seek God.

When Jesus came to visit Mary and Martha, Martha was so busy trying to please Jesus by how good of a host she could be that she failed to hear the words of the Master. Martha desired to please Jesus, but she was doing it in the wrong way. She was trying to please HIM by doing what she could do. What Jesus desired that Martha do was stop, sit down and listen to HIM speak. Until you hear the voice of God, you will never be able to live by faith.

We like to be in control. We like to determine what we do next. Living by faith does not allow us to be in control of our own life. Living by faith requires that we spend time being patient listening to HIM. Living by faith is similar to a horse and his master out for a ride. The horse may desire to be finished and go back to the barn for feeding. The horse probably is comfortable in its routine. However, what happens if the master changes the routine. What if after finishing the normal lap the master guides the horse down a new trail? Will the horse be attentive to its master’s signals and go to a new destination, or will it balk and demand that the master stay within the horse’s comfort level?

Living by faith is how you are commanded to live your life. You are not commanded to live by the law but by faith. Granted, both living by faith and living by the law require obedience. However, living by the law allows you to make the law and your works the most important thing. You receive the credit when you obey the law. However, when you live by faith, God is the one who receives the glory.

You cannot afford to become legalistic. If you focus your attention upon the law, your law will become more important to you then people. It is not your obedience to your laws that will make you righteous. It is not your diligent observance to your doctrine that will make you innocent. It is your ability to listen to the voice of God and to do what HE has said. It is when you take that step of faith that enables you to live a life pleasing to God.