WHAT ABOUT THEN?!
GOD wants us to know that there are people that HE used that had a “THEN”! Even great servants of GOD had a “then”. I want you to know that GOD can use you and lift you up, even if you had a then. GOD even puts us in the “THEN” to bring us to where he wants us to be NOW!
Ex 2:11 And it came to pass in those days, when Moses was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens: and he spied an Egyptian smiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. 12 And he looked this way and that way, and when he saw that there was no man, he slew the Egyptian, and hid him in the sand.
I believe this was Moses “THEN”. GOD allowed this to happen to Moses to put him in the desert. HE had to push him into the desert so HE was able to speak to Moses.
Ex 2:15 Now when Pharaoh heard this thing, he sought to slay Moses. But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he sat down by a well.
GOD sent Moses to Midian so he could speak to him.
Ex 3:1 Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father in law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. 2 And the angel of the LORD appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.4 And when the LORD saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said, Here am I. 5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. 6 Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.
GOD brought Moses out of his “THEN” and then GOD spoke to Moses and gave him HIS purpose for his life. GOD used a murderer to deliver HIS people out of Egypt. Though Moses did not reach the promised land in the earthly realm, I do know that Moses reached the ultimate “promised land”…and we see this in the following verse….
Mt 17:1 And after six days Jesus taketh Peter, James, and John his brother, and bringeth them up into an high mountain apart, 2 And was transfigured before them: and his face did shine as the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 3 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him.
Moses was taken up…GOD did eventually deliver him into HIS promised land!
SO if GOD can use this kind of circumstance, bringing Moses out of sin and into HIS promise…if he can use this for HIS GLORY, he can use us!! EVERYBODY has a THEN that he needs to bring us out of!
GOD even used a small young boy named David as a great warrior and anointed him to be king. But GOD knew that HE was going to have to bring David out of his “then”.
2Sam 11:3 And David sent and enquired after the woman. And one said, Is not this Bathsheba, the daughter of Eliam, the wife of Uriah the Hittite? 4 And David sent messengers, and took her; and she came in unto him, and he lay with her; for she was purified from her uncleanness: and she returned unto her house.
2Sam 11:15 And he wrote in the letter, saying, Set ye Uriah in the forefront of the hottest battle, and retire ye from him, that he may be smitten, and die.
This was David’s “then”. He committed adultery with Bathsheba, and committed murder and killed Uriah, her husband.
2Sam 12:13 And David said unto Nathan, I have sinned against the LORD. And Nathan said unto David, The LORD also hath put away thy sin; thou shalt not die. 14 Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that is born unto thee shall surely die.
GOD revealed through his prophet Nathan David’s sin. GOD still punished David for his sin, his “then”. He let the child that was conceived in his “then”, be taken from his “now.” But we see David confess and repent from his sin. GOD still entrusted to David HIS plan for HIS house! GOD also blessed David with another son, Solomon, whom HE would entrust to build HIS house in his “tomorrow”. GOD in the end blessed David in his “now” because David repented and trusted GOD!
Sometimes we have to allow GOD to reveal to us our “then”, so that he can turn us away (allow us to repent) from our “then” (sin). Once we allow GOD to do the work within us, and still continue to trust in him, we can know that GOD will bring us back to a right relationship with HIM (our “now) and will bless us even after our “then”!!
Deut 31:8 And the LORD, he it is that doth go before thee; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be dismayed.
Moses gave this law in Deuteronomy to the sons of Levi, and commanded them to hear, learn and fear the Lord and do all he has commanded them to do. GOD wants us to trust him with our “then” and our “now”!!
GOD shows us an example of his mercy in the new testament how he will not judge us for our “then” and will bring us to our “now”.
John 4:9 Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
Jesus came to a place in Samaria called Sychar on a mission. To reach out to a woman in her “then”. She was a sinner, living in a place that Jews typically avoided due to this place of a sinful “drunken” nature. Jesus already knew about her current sinful situation, living in adultery, and HE told her so.
John 4:18 For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
Jesus told her about her sin, and convinced this woman to leave her sin behind (her waterpot), and once she believed in who HE was, she would be one of the first woman preachers…to go out and spread the good news of the gospel.
John 4:28 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29 Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ?
GOD took her from her “then” and brought her to HIS plan for her life. If GOD can use a sinful adulterous woman to go and spread the good news of HIM, he can use us!!
GOD also had to take a great man used by him out of his “then” to bring him to where he could bless him and his seed. Even Abraham had a “then”.
Gen 15:4 And, behold, the word of the LORD came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir.
GOD had given Abraham a promise that he would bring him an heir. But because Abraham and Sarah did not wait on the promise, they fell into disobedience.
Gen 16:2 And Sarai said unto Abram, Behold now, the LORD hath restrained me from bearing: I pray thee, go in unto my maid; it may be that I may obtain children by her. And Abram hearkened to the voice of Sarai.
Ishamael, a child of Abraham, was born out of sin and disobedience to GOD. Sarah eventually learned that in order to obtain all that GOD wanted for them, she would have to cast out the “then”(sin) from her life, and move on to the “now” that GOD wanted for her and Abraham.
Gen 21:9 And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, which she had born unto Abraham, mocking. 10 Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.
In the New Testament, Paul mentions Ishmael. He states that those who trust the law instead of putting their faith in God’s promises do not inherit the kingdom.
Sometimes your “then” will begin to mock you, you will be tormented by the sins of your past. Sarah knew that the “then” had to be cast out. This was the perfect will of GOD for their life, they had to trust in HIS promise.
Gen 21:12 And God said unto Abraham, Let it not be grievous in thy sight because of the lad, and because of thy bondwoman; in all that Sarah hath said unto thee, hearken unto her voice; for in Isaac shall thy seed be called.
GOD confirmed for Abraham what Sarah had felt they should do to be brought to a place of rightstanding with GOD. So Abraham obeyed GOD and listened and did what HE asked him to do. Abraham would be tested again in his obedience, when he was asked by God to offer Isaac, and again, Abraham would pass the test.
Gen 22:16 And said, By myself have I sworn, saith the LORD, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: 17 That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; 18 And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.
But GOD had to bring Abraham from his “then” (his sin of disobedience) into his blessings of “now”!!
GOD even gave us an examples of what we had to do by casting out our “then” to come into our “now”. The first Adam had fallen into his “then” when he disobeyed GOD. Because of the great love for us, GOD had to robe himself in flesh, and give us Jesus, the second Adam to bring man out of his “then” – the fall in the garden, and into our “now” the redemptive life brought to us through the cross.
GOD wants us to leave the sin behind, trust in HIS promises or HIS word, and obey HIS commandments. Even though it may be very hard for some of us to cast out sin from our lives, HE will always bring us to a place of promised blessings….a place of redemption.
So today, I encourage you to let go of your “then”….!!! Allow GOD to bring you to a place in him that he wants you to be. Even though your past may be looming over your head mocking you, and you will be reminded of it (like Nathan did to David), ….even though your past may be living up in your house (Haagi and Ishmael), let GOD bring you past your “then”!!
Let GOD love you no matter how many sins are in your past, allow GOD’s grace, mercy and love to invade your heart, and bring you to a final resting place of blessings and comfort “now”!!!
