Lead (Lord’sPrayer Pt15) (Español abajo)
Matthew 6:13. Lead us NOT….
(scroll down for progress on the WINNER HOME FOR AT-RISK GIRLS)
If we are God’s children, He leads us, whether we ask Him too or not. He also does NOT lead us into things, whether we ask Him too or not. That doesn’t mean that we will follow His lead necessarily. Most Christians today do not even try.
Shepherds lead. God is a shepherd. God the Father is our shepherd just as much as God the Son. In Genesis 49:24. He is called, “the Mighty One of Jacob… the Shepherd, the Rock of Israel.” He is your Rock, your Father and your Shepherd. If you are His Child, He is your Shepherd as well as your Father. He will only lead you to good places, IF you let Him, because He only wants the best for you.
Romans 8:14 For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.
As it says in Psalm 23 He will guide us by still waters. Do you know why a shepherd leads his sheep to still waters? Because sheep can not drink waters from a babbling brook. Waves and ripples go into their nose and it bothers them. They actually choke. He will also lead us to pastures where the sheep lie down. Why do sheep lie down? Because they are stuffed from eating all the good food in the green pasture. Sheep only lie down when they can’t eat anymore. God knows the perfect spot to lead you and me, His children. He wants to bless us, but only can if WE LET HIM.
Of course it is easy to understand that God wants to lead us. We should not only ask God to lead us but we should desire to be led. However to ask Godto’Lead us Not’ is a very difficult part of the Bible that scholars will argue about forever. Popes, Joseph Smith from the Mormons, even the Spanish translation of the Bible has changed that verse, but it is simply not what Jesus said. We shouldn’t try to make the Bible fit to our understanding. We need to grow into what the Bible is trying to say.
All of the better translations in English say the same thing. ‘Lead us not….’ We don’t have to ask God to lead us. He will! But Jesus said ask God to NOT lead us as well. Asking God to protect your path means you are acknowledging Him in all your ways. Temptation also means trials. Sometimes Godwants us to take us through the refining fire, to test us, to build our character or something. We all prefer the easy way. God made us that way. But sometimes God leads us the hard way, even though we ask Him not to. As Jesus said in those times, ‘NEVER THE LESS, NOT MY WILL BUT THY WILL BE DONE’
God needs not to be reminded that it’s His path for us, but we do. When we pray to God we hear ourselves saying it as well. Sometimes in my past, where I was in a difficult situation, I distinctly remember praying out-loud ‘lead us not into temptation’. Don’t really understand why I said it but it helped
Proverbs 3:6 In all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.
I often wonder where God is guiding. Sometimes I think I am hearing from Him and His leading, but I am not. Sometimes I don’t think He’s leading me, (or hope not, especially when it’s something hard or difficult). I think with time, mistakes, efforts and successes we learn to follow God more closely, although it hurts. I have the lumps to prove it. That should be all of our goals. God will guide us, but we have to try to follow Him as well.
As we are led by God we are to lead others.
Paul said in 1 Corinthians 11
Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ.
Paul was humble, yet he said if you want to follow Christ (be led) just follow him. Tall order. Sounds vain doesn’t it? He and Moses were probably the most humble men in this history of the world (with the exception of Jesus). But they followed God, and by default, led people to God. They are still doing so to this day through their writings.
Presumption is not being guided by God. Presuming is just audacity. Many people step out in ‘faith’, without never having heard from God. Some have heard from men, and thought it was God, or they imitated a testimony from another person. Some had a strange dream. Some were just crazy. If you step out in faith without hearing from God it will be a disaster. For me, when I feel I am being guided by God, first He shows me something in the Word, again and again. There’s stirring inside of me, and I start praying, and Godcontinues to confirm in many different ways. Finally I know it’s God’s will and if I don’t do it, it’s sin.
At PureHeart we are followed by the children whether we ask them to our not. We don’t say ‘follow us!’. They do so naturally. That is why it is important for us to be followers of God’s lead. So they can follow God through us, as we are led by God.
God is good. He doesn’t lead us into bad things, only good. But we can misunderstand Him, and think we are following HIM but we aren’t. That’s why it is so important to stay close to Him through prayer and the Word. Also very important to check your heart. That’s how false cults start. That’s how pastors lead people into error. Word and prayer will protect you from presumptuousness and being led astray. The Word is always the final authority. Godwill never contradict Himself.
Psalm 23 King James Version (KJV)
23 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.
4 Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.
—–PROGRESS! —–
Our goal is to have kids living here by my birthday in June 21. That’s the day I am officially retired according by social security standards. Lord willing I will be getting $1,290 a month, so that will really help PureHeart to step up the game. Retirement is a worldly term to me though, not a Christian term. I will take the retirement money, but not stop this labor of love.
We need donations of money, materials and labor to get the Winnerhome ready. We also need a different vehicle, and a steady increase in donations to provide for 5 or six more people (basically another young family).
STEP 1 is COMPLETED! Praise God!
Once we get the money we will move onto Step 2 but right now we are below broke with a huge bill from our normal day to day operations staring us in the face; Godwilling, we will get past this soon.
Step 2. Installing a downstairs warehouse to hold everything from the warehouse which is now upstairs.
Step 3. Once the warehouse is cleaned out, we will put in a window up stairs, walls and another bathroom, thus turning the warehouse into a large dormitory for the girls.
4. We just found out by government that we will need a larger vehicle. Our 14 year old tucscon is on it ‘s last leg, and won’t legally hold Winnie and I and 5 girls. So we have to have a van.
Once all of that is done we are ready to bring in the little girl toddlers. Pray with us in the selection process of which little girls we will bring in. It will take time and we need to raise a lot to of money to do this (est overall expenses will be a little over 17,100 dollars PLUS 15,000 for a good used van, and also keeping on paying our 4000+ p/m basic operating expenses which will increase with housing 6-7 more people when the construction is completed) That needs to be another $1000 a month permanently. (so we need a steady month donation base of $5,000 a month)
Thats what the Lord we believe showed us, but we are always open to opinions and advice!
thank you once again!
Facebook = Dean andWinnie Peters
/////SPANISH////—-/////
Dirigir (Nuestro Padre PT15)
Mateo 6:13 No nos dejes … (no nos guías)
Pastores guían. Dios es un pastor. Dios el Padre es nuestro pastor tanto como Dios el Hijo. En Génesis 49:24. Se llama “el Poderoso de Jacob … el Pastor, la Roca de Israel”. ¿Quién es el Poderoso de Jacob? Él es Dios el Todopoderoso, el Padre. También se llama el Pastor y la Roca de Israel. Él es tu Roca, tu Padre y Pastor. Si eres Su Hijo, Él es tu Pastor así como tu Padre.
Él solo te llevará a buenos lugares, porque como Su hijo, Él solo quiere lo mejor para ti.
Romanos 8:14 Porque los que son guiados por el Espíritu de Dios son los hijos de Dios.
Como se dice en el Salmo 23, Él nos guiará por aguas tranquilas. ¿Sabes por qué un pastor lleva a sus ovejas a aguas tranquilas? Porque las ovejas no pueden beber aguas de un arroyo balbuceo. Olas y ondulaciones van a molestar su nariz. También nos llevará a pastos donde las ovejas se acuestan. ¿Por qué las ovejas se acuestan? Porque están rellenos de comer toda la comida en pastos verdes. Las ovejas solo se acuestan cuando ya no pueden comer mas. Dios sabe el lugar perfecto para guiarte a ti y a mí, sus hijos.
Por supuesto que Dios nos guía. No tenemos que pedirle a Dios que nos guíe. Pero Jesús dijo que le pidan a Dios que NO nos guíe también. Pedirle a Dios que proteja tu camino significa que lo estás reconociendo en todos tus caminos. Dios no necesita recordar este, pero nosotros sí.
Cuando oramos a Dios nosotros lo escuchamos también lo que estamos diciendo.
Proverbios 3: 6 En todos tus caminos sométete a él, y él enderezará tus caminos.
A menudo me pregunto a dónde me está guiando Dios. A veces pienso que estoy oyendo de Él pero no lo estoy. Creo que con el tiempo, los errores, los esfuerzos y los éxitos aprendemos a seguir a Dios más de cerca. Ese debería ser todos nuestros objetivos.
Dean and Winnie Peters
[email protected]
Joyfully serving the ‘least of these’ in Nicaragua for the glory of God
www.whatistheloveofGod.com
www.pureheartchildren.org
Facebook = Dean andWinnie Peters
Dean and Winnie Peters
[email protected]