Grace to Remain Inside Christ

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My Destiny

(Ruth 1-4. tune “On Christ The Solid Rock”)

  

1. Elimelech of Ephratah

In Bethlehem, of Judea

A man of destiny in God

From famine fled, to foreign land

My destiny’s in Jesus Christ

I shall not flee to foreign land

My destiny’s in Je-sus Christ

I shall not flee to foreign land!

2. Naomi, Mahlon and Chillion

His family, with him did flee

Sons took to wife two foreign girls

The one Orpah the other Ruth

3. Elimelech died in Moab

His two sons too died in Moab

Distressed Naomi looked around

Arose in tears, Bethlehem bound

4. Orpah deserted but Ruth clave

To Naomi and to her God

God embraced Ruth and changed her fate

She found her destiny in God

5. Beloved be rooted in Christ

Be built up bearing fruit in Him

No glory in the outside world

“Without are dogs” our God has warned

Ruth 1:1-2

Now it came to pass in the days when the judges ruled, that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Bethlehem Judah went to sojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two sons.

2 And the name of the man was Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two sons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Bethlehem Judah. And they came into the country of Moab, and continued there.

God’s Word against Moab - Deut. 23:3-6

What makes a man certain that he will enter into and fulfil his destiny? Only as he abide and remain inside Christ

What is the famine that seeks to separate you from the love of Christ? Romans 8:35

Prayer Points

• Grant me daily, a heart revelation of “Whose I am and “Who I am in Christ.” Col. 2:3,9; Acts 17:28; 1 John 1
• Lord, let this understanding secure my heart and deepen my roots inside Christ. Keep me standing with and for JESUS in the face of persecution and famine. Help my life so that I never exchange my destiny/inheritance/birth- right for food or the passing pleasures of sin. Heb. 11: 24-27
• Help my heart keep knowing that it is only as I abide and remain in Christ that I am certain of a glorious destiny. Psl. 36:9
• Deliver me from decisions that can potentially cost me and my loved ones our lives, or more importantly rob us of our inheritance/destiny in Christ.
• Holy Spirit, show me areas of my life that are still sojourning and/or continuing in Moab (World or World System) and help me take practical and deliberate steps to return back to Judah (Christ).
• I John 1:1-2 Open the eyes of my heart so I can see Jesus, grant me ears that hear and can discern Your voice; may I touch and experience You in a definite way not fleeting shadows. May I manifest and bear witness of who You are.

Romans 8:35,37-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.  38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 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.

Ruth found and secured her destiny in God. LORD, keep me on this journey of faith and on heavens highway!!!!

Join this HeartCry Prayer- Every Monday 11.30am-2.30pm (UK time)

God’s Preparation – His Ways

Join this HeartCry Prayer- Every Wednesday 11.30am-1.30pm (UK time)

GIDEON – Judges 6 – 8

• 6: 12 - 14 – He finds Gideon, even called him “a mighty man of valour”. And afterwards, asked Gideon to go in the strength that he has, since He (the Lord) was sending him.
• 6:25 – 26 – God instructs Gideon to tear down the altar of Baal his father Joash had built and build a proper kind of altar for the Lord his God.
• 7: 2-6 – God reduced the number of men with His own criteria. God’s ways are not our ways, the criteria of fear, unwillingness to go all out for Him was the first and more than half of the men left. Even with that great reduction, God further put the criteria of the style used by the men to drink water! Their drinking style demonstrated their level of preparation for use in this particular task. 1 Corinthians 6:12 (All things are lawful but not all are expedient, I will not be brought under the control of anything)
• 7:8  – the men who failed to qualify (31,700)  were not only sent back, but the provisions and trumpets (ammunition for battle) were taken from them and given to the 300.

Obedience

6:27 - God’s instructions to Gideon were quick and Gideon obeyed immediately.

6:36 – 7:1 – After the fleece confirmation, Gideon the very next morning, camped with his men at the spring of Harod.

7:9 – after the Lord had whittled down the number of men to 300, that same night, God came with further instructions for Gideon - to go down against the camp of the Midianites. God asked him to go down to the camp and listen to what they were saying if he was afraid and he did immediately. After he confirmed what God had been saying to him, he worshipped and mobilised his people for battle!

7: 17-18 – Gideon now gave instructions to the 300 on what to do, they were to watch him and follow his lead to do exactly what he does.

Prayers

• Thank God for the understanding He has granted us from His Word.
• Lord, baptise us with the spirit of repentance – what separates us from God is sin, just like the Israelites in Judges 6:10b, they failed to take heed to God. He can’t behold iniquity.
• Thank Him for the provision of the Cross that dealt decisively with the nature that is unable to obey Him. Thank Him for the Holy Spirit that He has sent, our Teacher and Helper, the Spirit of truth.
• Lord, because of the help You have sent, the Holy Spirit, let our obedience to You be quick, not delayed, not sluggish, not lip service. Let our obedience to You be genuine!
• Lord, no matter how few the labourers are, please find us included. May we not be disqualified because of lack of preparation, we submit to Your standards of preparation, no matter how odd or strange, it’s Your labour, have Your way! Matthew 7:13-15; Deuteronomy 30:18-20.
• Lord, may we remain in awe of who You are, remove every familiarity. Judges 7:15, after God proved what He had told Gideon and he was convinced, he worshipped God and his attitude changed. There is no more mention of fleece after this revelation. Lord, help us to know, settle in our hearts that You can be trusted.
• Our obedience isn’t just for us, but for the lives tied to ours – the 300 were properly instructed because Gideon had listened and obeyed the Lord’s instructions to him. Lord, help us!
• The battle belongs to God, therefore, victory is assured. When this happens, humble us, may we not become proud and conceited. Judges 8:1-3, 22-23. Gideon gave a wise answer to the people of Ephraim and also to the Israelites request that he rule over them.
• Father, help us to take heed; the enemy is out to steal and destroy from us. Judges 8:24-27, 29-35. Gideon built a gold ephod that eventually became a snare as the people later started prostituting by worshipping it. He also married many wives, had a concubine which had its consequences. Lord, let the victory of the Cross of Calvary over sin and death, over the powers of satan, let it ever be before us!
• Because of Gideon’s obedience, in his lifetime, Israel had peace for 40 years, the Midian did not raise its head again in that time -Judges 8:28. Lord, may our own generation not be left out in your records of victory. 

Join this HeartCry Prayer- Every Wednesday 11.30am-1.30pm (UK time)