Waiting on God – His Characteristics 

May 2019 • Volume XVII Number 09

”But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord. “ (2 Corinthians 3:18)

THOUGHTS FOR CONSIDERATION:

Greetings again my Brethren.  Just think of it as divine enabling.  We enable people and even ourselves in so many destructive situations and areas in our lives it is a wonder God lets us continue in them, but this enabling is not of our abilities (even our God given abilities) or our flesh, but it is divine (not of this world or of the earth) birthed from the heart of God.  The Prophet Isaiah points us to four attributes  of God to help us see this divine enabling.  Without seeing God’s attributes we will never be able to move into the divine enabling God has for us.  Now please let us understand this word enabling quite well.  Enabling is giving someone or something the authority or means to do something. God has given us the authority and the means (both) to speak for Him, do things for Him,  and even represent Him in the world.  It must be both.  God must give of the authority and means to act and speak for Him.  What kind of God would we serve if He told us to do things or represent Him in affairs of men and not give us the means or ability to do them.  We would surely fail at everything we would do for Him.  It is like a father telling  his son what he wants done, but not teaching his son how to do what he wants. The father must give the son the education, skills, and abilities to perform the tasks the father wants completed. Well our heavenly Father is no different.  He gives us the education (learning opportunities), skills and abilities as we grow in the grace and knowledge of Him through His dealings and judgments. As we learn this lesson that enables us to learn the next lesson we discover we have learned something special about our heavenly Father.  Our eyes of understanding has been opened and we can look deep into His heart and begin to see His character and if we look a little deeper we will be able to see His attributes.  God’s character is who He is.  God is love, love is His character.  God is merciful. Mercy is His character.  God is longsuffering.  Longsuffering is His character.  And so much more, but an attribute is deeper, at the core of His  makeup, and is at the essence of who God is and is something we are not and maybe never be.  Now we have physical attributes God gave us them, but not spiritual attributes like God has.  And yes we can only hope in ages to come we will be  like Him. For example God is eternal.  This is an attribute of God is from the eternities to the eternities God who is and always was.  No beginning and no end.  We some day in the future shall be eternal, but in the natural we are of the earth. God is not of this earth He is eternal the ancient of ages. Another mind boggling attribute is the                   sovereigntyof God. The word sovereignty means supreme power and total authority. We may think we are sovereign, but in reality we only fool ourselves. God and God alone is sovereign knowing the beginning from the end.  He laid the foundation of the ages by His desires, His will, and He will see them as they roll on from age to age.  God and God alone makes the calls as He upholds the existence of life in His hands and of the dealings with man.  There is none greater nor will there ever be a greater sovereign power. Another attribute is God’s omnipotence.  This attribute means the quality of having unlimited, infinite power and authority. God has all power over all things at all of the times in all ways.  Nowhere is God’s omnipotence seen more clearly than in creation.  God said, “let there be”and it was so.  Man needs tools and materials to create, but God simply spoke and by the power of His word everything was created. As well as in creation God’s omnipotence is seen in the preservation of His creation. Also seen.  God’s omnipotence extends to governments and leaders as He restrains them or lets them go their own ways as according to His plan and purposes.  It is the glue that holds everything together. And lastly another attribute of God is His  omniscienceor the sate of knowing everything.  I have often thought how wonderful it would be (especially when growing up) to know everything, but without the ability to have supreme power and authority to right the wrong or affect the right change it would be hopeless. To know everything one must carry a heart of benevolence and generosity for everything you know something only God can do.  I have always said it is bad not to know something, but it is worse not knowing you do not know. A knowing in our heart is the goal of discovering God’s attributes and what He wants for our lives.  Not knowing everything like God, but knowing what God wants us to know so we can know Him.  In Isaiah 40 we can see many of the attributes of God, “Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, thatthe everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there isno searching of his understanding. ²⁹ He giveth power to the faint; and to them that haveno might he increaseth strength. ³⁰Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: ³¹ But they that wait upon the LORDshall renew theirstrength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; andthey shall walk, and not faint.”  (Isaiah 40:28-31)  Can you spot them?We must be able to see God’s character and His attributes for Him to be able to push us in the direction of His divine enabling.

Next month we begin a new section the LORD”S CALL. Do you hear Him calling?  Please know God is calling. Walter Beuttler said if you build God a temple He will inhabit it. Have  you built God a temple?  If you do He will abide and wait for you. 

Written by David Stahl 

ARTICLE REVIEW:

                    Doing Wrong                                                                                  

When I think of the things King David did in his walk with the LORD I have to shake my head and say, but for the grace of God there go I.  You know we are no better and may have done far worse than him in his short comings.  But, I have always wondered why King David thought he had the right (even in God) to just take another man’s wife? But if you study the scriptures (as we are commanded to) closely we will find this was not the first time King David took another man’s wife.  After King Saul took his own life (1 Samuel 31:4-6) Michal Saul’s first daughter was taken by David to be his wife as King Saul promised him, only one problem Michal was already married, “And he said, Well; I will make a league with thee: but one thing I require of thee, that is, Thou shalt not see my face, except thou first bring Michal Saul’s daughter, when thou comest to see my face.  ¹⁴And David sent messengers to Ishbosheth Saul’s son, saying, Deliver memy wife Michal, which I espoused to me for an hundred foreskins of the Philistines. ¹⁵And Ishbosheth sent, and took her from herhusband, evenfrom Phaltiel the son of Laish.  ¹⁶And her husband went with her along weeping behind her to Bahurim. Then said Abner unto him, Go, return. And he returned.” (2 Samuel 3:13-16)His wife? Yes, Saul gave Michal to David (see 1 Samuel 18:27) then in a fit of anger King Saul gave Michal to Phaltiel the son of Laish (see 1 Samuel 25:44), but now many years later King David is coming after his wife? Now I am not beating up Brother David, but earlier in 2 Samuel we may find a clue that lends itself to why David felt he had the right to take Bathsheba. “And David perceived that the LORD had established him king over Israel,and that he had exalted his kingdom for his people Israel’s sake. ¹³And David took himmore concubines and wives out of Jerusalem, after he was come from Hebron: and there were yet sons and daughters born to David.”  (2 Samuel 5:12-13)Why not Bathsheba?  After all I am king and I took Michal (and got away with it) so why not with Bathsheba? Now we would say how could God stand by and allow this travesty to happen? We would have thought how could a Holy God allow this wrongful, unjust, and unrighteous act to happen, but that was not God’s testimony of the event.  Remember it is God who says something is right or wrong, just or unjust, righteous or unrighteous, godly, or ungodly not us. In fact God said nothing, God was deathly quiet (what long suffering) with their relationship until Michal got upset at David when he came dancing into Jerusalem (2 Samuel 6:20-23) with the Ark of the Covenant.  Verse 23 says, “Therefore Michal the daughter of Saul had no child unto the day of her death.”Maybe God’s longsuffering ran out with her open defiance and ridicule, maybe God’s opinion of David taking Michal from her husband was revealed in Michal never bearing children, a huge deal for a king and a huge deal for an Israelite woman.  This story sheds the light on many areas in our lives.  You know people ask me if Jesus is the fulfilling of the Old Testament why do we have to study the Old Testament, well that answer is clear so we will not make the same mistakes the people in the Old Testament made.  Paul taught this central truth to the Church at Corinth, “Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come.  ¹²Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall. ¹³There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God isfaithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”  (1 Corinthians 10:11-13)yet they did not learn and sadly we too seem to have the same problems not learning the same lessons.    

     You know I believe there are many things what we call sin that God does not.  I can say you have sinned, but if God does not say you have sinned then you have not sinned. Many Christians would have been fast to accuse King David of his sin in taking Michal from her husband (even in his tears), but God did not call it sin.  Sadly for David I believe MAYBE his past conquest of Michal MAY have embolden him to desire Bathsheba when he spied her taking a sponge bath on the roof.  One thing for sure God hates sin and He wants us to stop.  Sin was Jesus’ number one topic, yet today we hear little about sin from our church leaders. We hear of our destiny to rule and reign with Christ now and in the ages to come, well my brother I promise if you cannot allow God to deal in your heart with your sin nature you will never rule and reign with Christ in heavenly places.  One of the biggest obstacles we face in allowing God to deal with our sin nature is we think sinning is about hurting others and ourselves well this is true to a certain extent, but when we sin it is NOT about us and others as much as it is always about us sinning against God and His word to us. Now there are two points here. The first, our sin is against God’s character and nature and the second is our sin is against God’s word telling us not to do something.  Sin is not the act committed, but doing that which God told us not to do.  God tell us, “do not lie,” but we do.  “Do not steal,” but we do.  “Do not murder,”  yes some do. It is not the lying or the stealing that is the sin (now we must not lie or steal), but the act of doing that which God told us not to do.  Remember what sin is; sin is to miss the mark, to know right, but willfully do wrong. What is the mark we miss?  The mark we miss is not keeping God’s commandments and word to us because in our heart we desire what we want to do.  I do not know about you my friend, but when (not if) I sin I know it. There is no surprise the Holy Spirit convicts me (thank God) after the fact, but at first I choose to do that which God told me not to do. I knew right, but I willfully choose to do wrong, sin. It is our love for God and our desire to learn how God functions and operates is that God uses to head off our wrong thoughts and changes our heart condition to prevent wrong choices.  Paul tells us, “Unto the pure all things arepure: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving isnothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. ¹⁶They profess that they know God; but in works they deny him, being abominable, and disobedient, and unto every good work reprobate.”  (Titus 1:15-16)  You see it is not the act, but, “unto them that are defiled and unbelieving isnothing pure.”  Who shall see God now and in ages to come? Only those with a pure heart and clean hands. Now it says “nothing is pure.”When the Bible says “nothing,”all things, or every it means just that leaving none out.  We see it is in their “minds and conscience”(their heart condition) the choice to be pure or not is made.  This means we can do wrong things in the eyes of man, but God who sees and knows our heart may not call it wrong and will not ascribe it as sin to us.  Again I believe there are many things man calls sin to manipulate and control people, but God may not call it sin.  Let us look at the last word, “reprobate,”Strong’s #96; void of judgment, not standing the test, not approved, that which does not prove itself such as it ought, unfit, spurious.  Here we see these people were “abominable and disobedient”because of their lack of judgment or their inability to make the right choice at the right time.  God must get us to stop sinning if He is going to use us and for this to happen we must open ourselves to His dealings and judgments in our lives so that He can reveal to us the wickedness of our heart.      

Of the two points mentioned above the first point speaks volumes of our love for God. When we sin (and we know it) we are not sinning against anyone but God.  We see this truth expressed in the words of Joseph and King David.  First in the words of Joseph when he was enticed by Potiphar’s (his boss) wife. “And it came to pass after these things, that his master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. ⁸But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife, Behold, my master wotteth not what iswith me in the house, and he hath committed all that he hath to my hand; ⁹There isnone greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back any thing from me but thee, because thou arthis wife: how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?¹⁰And it came to pass, as she spake to Joseph day by day, that he hearkened not unto her, to lie by her, orto be with her.”  (Genesis 39:7-10)  In verse eight we see Joseph made up his mind not to sin before he got in the situation.  Joseph must have seen her looking at him he must have had some awareness of her desires towards him so he stiffened his resolve in God (before he was confronted) that he would not destroy the relationship between him, his earthly master, and his heavenly Master.  What is the value of awareness?  Sometimes the value can be our soul. And then in verse nine we read where Joseph said, “how then can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?”Joseph knew the sin (he knew that which was right) was not the act, or against Potiphar (but it would have surely destroyed their relationship), nor even against himself, but against God.  When we sin it is against God and God alone.  King David knew what Joseph was feeling when Nathan the Prophet stood before him.  In 2 Samuel we read where Prophet Nathan exposes King David’s ungodly relationship with Bathsheba and wanton murder of her husband Uriah who was a soldier in King David’s army. We pick up where King David recognizes his sin, “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. ¹⁴Howbeit, because by this deed thou hast given great occasion to the enemies of the LORD to blaspheme, the child also that isborn unto thee shall surely die. ¹⁵And Nathan departed unto his house. And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David, and it was very sick.:” (2 Samuel 12:13-15)  King David realized two things here, one he sinned against God and two when we sin against God there is always a consequence for our disobedience.  Now it may not be swift in coming, but some day it will come and we will know why it has been visited on us.  Here swiftly God’s judgment fell, “And the LORD struck the child that Uriah’s wife bare unto David.”  Please notice, “the LORD struck the child.”  King David was found out for the man he was and now discovered he had to face his consequence; the open shame and death of his first born child with Bathsheba. David recognized his error (please read the entire story) and then took responsibility and the consequences for his actions.  God is looking for this in us.  If we fail (and we will) God is looking for us to recognize our sin (after all He has given us His precious Holy Spirit to help with this) and then bear up under His judgment with the strength He provides.  Maybe this is why God said of David that “he was a man after my own heart.”  In Psalms we read where King David gets down to the heart level with God, “For I acknowledge my transgressions:and my sin isever before me. ⁴Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done thisevil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, andbe clear when thou judgest. ⁵Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me.  ⁶Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden partthou shalt make me to know wisdom.” (Psalms 51:3-6) True forgiveness of our sin begins when we recognize we have sinned against God and then ask His forgiveness and others if need be. When we do wrong we will know that it is wrong, because we know what His word says and we are sensitive to the wooing of the Holy Spirit like Joseph and King David.  Do not focus on the sin (now if you are sinning STOP) Jesus died for that sin, but instead focus on God and His amazing forgiveness and strength.

Written by David Stahl

THOUGHTS FROM KAREN:                              

                  Warm and Fuzzy

I don’t know where we get this stupid notion that GOD is warm and fuzzy, like an old kindly indulgent grandfather. Many religions and denominations even question if He would send people to Hell.  GOD is NOT warm and fuzzy. The Bible says, “The LORD is a man of war; the LORD is his name.” (Exodus 15:3).That doesn’t sound too warm and fuzzy to me.To those that follow GOD on HIS terms, not theirs, yes He is loving and kind, but make no mistake He will snap us up in a heartbeat if we goof up (and we know it) because He loves us.  IF we desire to be corrected and have a teachable spirit(lots of folks are NOT teachable) Jesus said,  “I am the way the truth, and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by me.” (John 14:6).We don’t get to GOD by our religion, the Pope, the Saints, Mary the mother of Jesus (she is not the mother of GOD), or our works—as puny as they are. We come through Jesus.  David said of GOD: “With the merciful thou wilt shew thyself merciful, and with the upright man thou wilt shew thyself upright. With the pure thou wilt shew thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt shew thyself unsavoury. And the afflicted people thou wilt save; but thine eyes are upon the haughty, that thou mayest bring them down.” (2 Samuel 22:26-28)  Only people who have allowed GOD to work in their lives will have a righteous and clean heart condition before Him. GOD sees how we really are. Oh sure we can try to fool other people, but they know. We absolutely cannot fool GOD. I smile to myself when people tell me how loving and kind they are or  how kind so and so is  if GOD has not worked in their lives then it’s just a facade. Because it’s just a matter of time before GOD shows them how loving and kind they really are. When we first moved to Germany I foolishly thought the same thing of myself (such a dope) well let me tell you GOD showed me how loving and kind I really was. It took the form of a little  crazy German lady. Yes I saw how patient and kind I really was. She drove me nuts. Many was the time I felt like punching her in the face.  Oh yes I was so kind, yep, GOD showed me! I was so ashamed of myself Jeremiah  says the heart is deceitfully wicked who can know it?  He writes, “The heart isdeceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it? ¹⁰  I the LORDsearch the heart, Itry the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, andaccording to the fruit of his doings.” (Jeremiah 17:9-10)  “Who can know it?”Jeremiah asks. Verses 10 starts off and says, “I the LORD search the heart.”  Take heed to what you say about yourself! Once  GOD shows you what is in your heart the ball will be in your court. Do you agree with GOD that you are full of presumption (at best) and need to repent of your ways or do you keep on deceiving yourself and (using a Southern vernacular) continuing in your mess? Folks GOD ain’t no joke. The writer to the Hebrews says; “My son despise not thou the chastening of the LORD nor faint when thou are rebuked of Him; For whom the LORD loveth He chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, GOD dealeth you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement whereof all are partakers then are ye bastards, and not sons, Further more we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence; shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits and live?” (Hebrews 12: 5-9).Not too warm and fuzzy eh?  When GOD allowed Satan to test Job GOD said,  “Behold all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand.” (Job 1:1 2)  In one day Job lost it all. His ten children, most of his servants, and his whole livelihood, gone, yet, “In all this Job sinned not, nor charged GOD foolishly.” (Job 1:22)In the next chapter Job lost his health. And Job said, “what? shall we receive good at the hand of GOD, and shall we not receive evil? In all this did not Job sin with his lips.” (Job 2:10) If you still truly think GOD is warm and fuzzy read Isaiah and Jeremiah. On more than one occasion GOD gave his chosen people what for and read them the riot act because their hearts were not towards Him, they were disobedient and engaging in idolatry.GOD is no joke. We come to GOD on his terms, not ours. We come through our faith in Jesus and the work that was accomplished and finished by his shed blood on the cross, and His resurrection.  God is not going to be impressed with any person who rejects His Son Jesus. It doesn’t matter if they’re a card carrying, good Baptist ,Methodist, Catholic, Episcopalian, whatever.  If we reject Jesus Christ we’re going to see a side of GOD that’s far from warm and fuzzy. Read your Bible. 

Written by Karen Stahl

NEEDS NO WANTS:

1. In Dobrich, Bulgaria Pastor Niki Marsov and in Silistra Pastor(s) Yanko, Marcho, and Emil. Times are troubled in Bulgaria much prayer and support is needed. 
2. Constanta, Romania Pastors Luke and Jacob at Bethel Church and Ian at the Romanian Center for Cross-cultural Studies Bible School.
3. In Suceava, Romania Pastors Nicu at St. Andrews Church. They are still standing by God’s grace.
4. Pastor Joseph Mutua in Nairobi, Kenya needs your prayer and financial support.
5. Pastor Mike Olufemi in Aveile, Nigeria. He needs our prayers and support to be a light in great darkness. 
6. Pastor S. J. Peter, Founder of DAWN Ministries in Hyderabad and Pastor Wilson and his son Pastor Julian in Sankaraguptham, India.
7. Dan, Cathy, and members of Uskudar Son Buyruk Kilisesi in Istanbul, Turkey.
8. Pastor Elieti Msangi in Dar Es Salaam and Pastors Isreal Mutaitina and John Balone   in Bukoba, Tanzania.
9. Monthly financial support for Vivian’s Maternity and Child Care Clinic project in Aviele, Nigeria.
10. Pastor Tek Dahl at Gethsemane, Church (his church) and their radio station “Good News 105.1 FM” in Kathmandu, Nepal. 
11.  Bishop John, Samuel Kamanzi (from the Congo), and, Emmanuel Ndolimana in Ruhengeli, Rwanda.

NEXT HOME GROUP MEETING:

14 May 2019 & 28 May  2019 at 7:00 pm

At 232 Everett Drive

Sneads Ferry, NC  28460

7:00 pm please RSVP

Home:  (910) 741-0489

NEXT SERVICES FOR THE ROCK FELLOWSHIP AT SNEADS FERRY

5 May  19 Sneads Ferry Community Center 10:00 am

12 May 19 Sneads Ferry Community Center 11:00 am

19 May 19 Stahl’s Home 11:00 am

26 May 19 Sneads Ferry Community Center 11:00 am

POCs are Freddy Everett (910) 545-7918 or David Stahl (910) 382-9287

FUTURE SCHEDULE:

May: Local Ministry 

June: Local Ministry

July: Local Ministry

I  am still available to share what God has given me at churches and/or home groups.  If God moves on your heart to  support BHG or other ministries we  personally know we would be honored to serve as a go between. Remember, if we want a blessing from God the spiritual principle is we must bless others.  Remember, God is to you what you are to God.    

CONTACT INFORMATION: 

Address: 

David and Karen Stahl

232 Everett Drive

Sneads Ferry, NC  28460

Phone:

Home:    (910) 741-0489

Mobile:  (910) 382-9287

FAX:     (910) 741-0489

 

Email:

dstahl@beholdinghisglory.com

Website:

www.www.beholdinghisglory.com/

Blog:

http://bhisglory.blogspot.com/

NEW OFFER

Booklets on Spiritual Authority,  Spiritual Leadership, Prayer, Body of Christ, and Righteous Living the Four Anchors of God are now available by contacting us and requesting one.  You can see them on our home page.  Get one now.

The Author House link below will lead you to our latest book, “Thoughts for Consideration.” Just copy it into your web browser and return. Also you can purchase two of our other books “Adventures with God.” and “God Still Performs Miracles: A Book of Personal Encouragement.” 

 http://www.authorhouse.com/AuthorCenter/Protected/BookHome.aspx?bookID=61464

 Please take a minute and take a look, they all make for a great encouraging gift, giving hope and sharing God’s love through a deeper teaching that someone can enjoy again and again.  All of our books can be purchased at all book stores like Barnes and Nobles, Borders, Book-A-Million, and etc., any Christian Book Store that orders, and all book ordering on-line companies like Amazon.com. Or if you are like me from the old school just contact us, we will let you know the price and then we  will mail it out to your home address. Postage and handling is on a case by case basis.   

If you know someone you think would enjoy receiving this newsletter or if you receive this newsletter and do not wish to please let me know.  Contributions to this ministry is always appreciated and  needed the more time continues. Please feel free to contact us with the above information.