Aligning Goals with God's Will Part 5
Download MP3Welcome to a place of peace, hope, and divine encouragement. This is Joy in Every Step with your host, beloved preacher, retired teacher, and faithful faithful servant of the Lord, Sarita Bernadette. Each week, Sarita shares heartfelt messages rooted in the Word of God, filled with wisdom, joy, and the gentle reminder that God cares deeply for you. Whether you're walking through the valleys or dancing on the mountaintops, Sarita's voice will guide you back to his promises step by step. So open your heart, settle your spirit, and take the next step in faith with Joy in Every Step.
Sarita Bernadette:Hi, I'm Sarita Bernadette and welcome back to another episode of Joy in Every Step. I'm glad you're here. During this month we've been focused on aligning our goals with God's will. We've established some foundational understandings. They include moving with intention while being in constant communication with God, cultivating a close relationship with the Lord and listening for his voice, trusting in the Lord's divine timing, understanding that it may require a period of waiting.
Sarita Bernadette:And in the previous episode, we explored what it means to be a trailblazer. For believers, doing something that hasn't been done before demands a high level of trust in the Lord. So in this final installment of the series, I want to tell you God finishes what he starts. Philippians one and six reads, I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work in you will continue to complete it until the day of Jesus Christ. Beloved, our spiritual growth is driven and guided by God's power, not just our human effort.
Sarita Bernadette:In this scripture, Paul declares he is sure believers will be made more and more like Christ until the day he returns. God has a purpose for each of our lives and the assignment he has called us to requires our complete confidence in his ability to watch over what he has ordained. Let's talk about Jeremiah. Jeremiah, the major prophet from the Old Testament who is also known as the weeping prophet. Why that particular moniker?
Sarita Bernadette:Well, Jeremiah was a young man from a priestly family who was called to warn Judah that God's judgment was coming. Because he was young, he didn't feel confident in his ability to speak for the Lord. Has anyone out there ever felt a little fearful when faced with something God has called you to do, something that God is telling you to do? Listen, in Jeremiah one verses five through eight we read: Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, 'Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you. I appointed you a prophet to the nations.' Then I said, O Lord God, truly I do not know how to speak for I am only a boy.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse seven: But the Lord said to me, do not say I am only a boy, for you shall go to all whom I send you, and you shall speak whatever I command you. Do not be afraid of them, for I am with you to deliver you,' says the Lord. So the Lord assured Jeremiah that he was indeed able to do the work because he had been called from the womb. He tells him he was set aside and appointed to do this before he was born. Can you imagine the Lord telling you, You were appointed to do this, this thing that he's called you to do before you were even born?
Sarita Bernadette:Wow. Jeremiah was thinking that he had to get God's message to the people using his own human power. In order to overcome his fear and insecurity, he had to fully rely on God's unlimited power. Jeremiah needed more Godfidence, beloved. God confidence.
Sarita Bernadette:Still, in the book of Jeremiah chapter one, we drop down to verses eleven and twelve, and it says, The word of the Lord came to me, saying, 'Jeremiah, what do you see?' And I said, 'I see a branch of an almond tree.' Then the Lord said to me, you have seen well, for I am watching over my word to perform it. Beloved, this part is so good. God asked Jeremiah, What do you see? And he responds, I see a branch of an almond tree. The almond tree.
Sarita Bernadette:The almond tree in Hebrew is Shaked. It literally means almond or almond tree. Keep listening. You see, the almond tree is a significant symbol in Israel. It's the first to bloom or wake up in spring, often as early as January or February with its early pink and white flowers representing hope and vigilance.
Sarita Bernadette:And the word shaked is closely related to the word shaked, which means to watch over or keep awake. It refers to vigilance or diligence. Are you getting this friends? These two words share the same root emphasizing the connection between the almond tree and divine alertness. God is letting us know that He is always awake and He keeps His promises.
Sarita Bernadette:He's assuring us that He's responsible for bringing His Word to fruition and that he's always on time. His word will always accomplish its purpose. Isaiah 5five 11 So shall my word be that goes out from my mouth it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose and succeed in the thing for which I sent it. God's word never returns empty. It always produces results.
Sarita Bernadette:When we're working on something that the Lord has tasked us with, we will indeed encounter obstacles. Romans eight twenty eight reminds us that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. So that scripture says all things, all things. That part has changed the way I see the things that get in our way. You know, those events, those people, the issues that pop up to delay or prevent us from achieving our goals.
Sarita Bernadette:In this letter from Paul to the Romans, he reinforces the foundational principle that God is sovereign, and although we may not enjoy it, he allows certain things to happen so that we grow spiritually and become more like Christ. Not everything that happens to us is good, and that can be hard to reckon with knowing that our God is good. However, we must hold fast to the understanding that if we love him and are called according to his divine purpose, sooner or later, it's going to work in our favor. Selah. Pause and calmly think about that.
Sarita Bernadette:Beloved, I believe obstacles help us create the path to completing our assignment. The obstacles actually serve us. Think about some of the problems you've had to work through in your life. Did you learn something in the process? I would answer that question with a resounding yes.
Sarita Bernadette:While working on the obstacle, the problem, the issue, we clear out what is holding us back. Problems force us to face our fears and take them down. The obstacle is the way comes from the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius. Maybe you've heard the original phrase, The impediment to action advances action. What stands in the way becomes the way.
Sarita Bernadette:Phew. For Jeremiah, an obstacle was fear, right? He had to step out and say what the Lord was telling him to say, knowing that it may not be what the people wanted to hear. He had to face his fear, confident that God had his back. One more excellent example from the Word of God.
Sarita Bernadette:Many of us are familiar with the story of Esther. Here's a brief synopsis of the story. Esther was a Jewish girl who had been taken captive. After her parents died, she was adopted by a family member, Mordecai, who raised her as his own daughter. King Xerxes was looking for a new queen.
Sarita Bernadette:You can go and read about the reason for that at your leisure. Many young women were considered, but after a year of beauty treatments, Esther was chosen to be queen. Now, Haman was the most powerful man in the kingdom besides the king. He was an evil man though, who hated the Jewish people and plotted to have them killed. Mordecai persuaded Esther to go to the king and plead for the lives of people.
Sarita Bernadette:She could be killed for going in before she was summoned, but she was brave and went to see the king. She invited him and this evil man Haman to a banquet. During the meal she revealed the plot against the Jews and accused Haman. Haman was hanged on the gallows he had prepared for Mordecai and the Jews were allowed to defend themselves. Mordecai was honored.
Sarita Bernadette:Since that time Jews have remembered Esther and celebrated her during the Feast of Purim. Here's the story in the word, beloved. It's Esther two verses eight through 18. Bear with me. When the king's order and his edict were proclaimed and when many young women were gathered in the Citadel Of Susa in the custody of Haggai, Esther was taken into the king's palace and put in the custody of Haggai who had charge of the women.
Sarita Bernadette:The young women pleased him and won his favor. And when he quickly and he quickly provided her with cosmetic treatments and her portion of food and with seven chosen maids from the king's palace. And he advanced her and her maids to the best place in the harem. Esther did not reveal her people or kindred for Mordecai had charged her not to tell. Every day Mordecai would walk back and forth in front of the court of the harem to learn how Esther was and how she fared.
Sarita Bernadette:Verse 12: The turn came for each young woman to go into King Ahasuerus. After being twelve months under the regulations for the women, since this was the regular period of their cosmetic treatment: six months with oil of myrrh and six months with perfumes and cosmetics for women. When the young woman went into the king, she was given whatever she asked for to take with her from the harem to the king's palace. In the evening she went in. Then in the morning she came back to the second harem in custody of Shagaz, the king's eunuch who was in charge of the concubines.
Sarita Bernadette:She did not go in to the king again unless the king delighted in her and she was summoned by name. When the turn came for Esther, daughter of Abihal, the uncle of Mordecai, who had adopted her as his own daughter, to go into the king, she asked for nothing except what Haggai, the king's eunuch, who had charge of the women, advised. Now Esther was admired by all who saw her. Verse 16: When Esther was taken into King Ahasuerus in his royal palace in the tenth month, which is the month of Tabith, in the seventh year of his reign, the king loved Esther more than all the other women. Of all the virgins, she won his favor and devotion, so that he set the royal crown on her head and made her queen instead of Vashti.
Sarita Bernadette:Then the king gave a great banquet to all his officials and ministers, Esther's banquet. He also granted a holiday to the provinces and gave gifts with royal liberality. Much emphasis has been given to the end of the story here. We know that Esther went on to save an entire nation. She has gone down in history as a heroine.
Sarita Bernadette:God used Esther's imprisonment to set an entire group of people free. Esther was orphaned, forcibly recruited, and fearful. Those are some serious obstacles. Those same hindrances, though, provided the way to the fulfillment of her calling. It was her uncle Mordecai who played a significant role in this story.
Sarita Bernadette:Would that have been possible if she had not been adopted by him? Being taken into the harem made gaining access to the king possible. Would that have happened otherwise if she hadn't been taken into the harem? Esther couldn't let the fact that her nation was in peril overwhelm her. She couldn't let fear or anger prevent her from doing what God had called her to do.
Sarita Bernadette:I've heard it said: Our effort, God's outcome. Hebrews twelve:two: Looking to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God. Beloved, God is always at work. He had a plan from the very beginning. Because of his plan we now have a great intercessor sitting at his right hand.
Sarita Bernadette:Jesus came so that we might have the right to eternal life and to provide an example and a source of strength for us as believers. Beloved, there is absolute joy in knowing God finishes what he starts. You've been listening to Joy in Every Step. I'm Sarita Bernadette and I'm grateful you chose to spend some time here with me. Feel free to share this episode with someone you know would appreciate it.
Sarita Bernadette:You can find Joy in Every Step wherever you listen to your podcasts and give us a follow there. Do check out the website at joyineverystep.org. See you next time.
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