Genesis 26v1-6, “AND THERE was a famine in the land, other than the former famine that was in the days of Abraham. And Isaac went to Gerar, to Abimelech king of the Philistines. And the Lord appeared to him and said, Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land of which I will tell you. Dwell temporarily in this land, and I will be with you and will favor you with blessings; for to you and to your descendants I will give all these lands, and I will perform the oath which I swore to Abraham your father. And I will make your descendants to multiply as the stars of the heavens, and will give to your posterity all these lands (kingdoms); and by your Offspring shall all the nations of the earth be blessed, {or} by Him bless themselves, For Abraham listened to {and} obeyed My voice and kept My charge, My commands, My statutes, and My laws. So Isaac stayed in Gerar. And the men of the place asked him about his wife, and he said, She is my sister; for he was afraid to say, She is my wife--[thinking], Lest the men of the place should kill me for Rebekah, because she is attractive {and} is beautiful to look upon.”
Troubles and challenges will confront us all in life.
Being called by God or being Christians does not exempt us from challenges
As Christians, we are not guaranteed or promised a life free of challenges but we are promised victory, there is no victory without a fight.
Is 41:10, “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror {and} be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen {and} harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up {and} retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness {and} justice.” 1 Cor 15:57, “But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the above scriptures, we are promised God’s company and protection in the midst of challenges.
The magnitude or level of challenges will differ but we all have to confront or be confronted with situations at one point or another in life.
There are different ways and methods we use to handle situations and many a times we do what we have seen others do.
When the famine confronted Isaac, he probably thought of how Abraham had reacted to the same challenge.
The bible does not say it, but most probably Isaac was intending to go to Egypt like his father had done because we hear God saying, “Do not go to Egypt.”
Gen 12:10-13, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous). And when he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, I know that you are beautiful to behold. So when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say, I beg of you, that you are my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
So, we can deduce that Isaac was using the same tactics that his father Abraham was using.
At times we need to be careful because what worked yesterday may not work today or what worked for somebody may not necessarily work for you.
The methods used by your parents may not be relevant for us today.
Using The Natural Example
In the bible days, people used to travel long distances preaching the gospel, it may not be necessary for us now to use the same modes or methods now that we have modern technology, vehicles, tvs, internet, satellite, etc.
History tells us that our forefathers used to wear animal skins for clothes, it is not necessary for us to use the same methods today.
The generation before us (our very own parents – in Zimbabwean context) grew up at a time when attaining standard 6 was considered being educated. Things have been changing ever since, it went up ZJC, O’ level, A’ level, tertiary qualification and currently the minimum qualification for employment though not officially said is a degree.
In days to come, the minimum qualification could be a Masters degree. May be in the days of our children it will be a PHD!
So, young people keep on developing yourselves as much as you can. Do not settle for what worked for those ahead of you, aim for more!
What worked for your parents in terms of education, may not work for you. In the same way what worked for you may not work for your children.
In the natural we need to adapt to change, technology, etc.
Our grand parents used to say town life was not right, people needed to live in the rural areas. Even if you were working in town, you needed to go to the rural areas every week. It was said people did not need to have formal accommodation in towns, town life was not good!
Some of our parents failed even to register for free family houses that the councils were giving to people.
Some older generation men send or used to send their wives to the rural areas and them (the man) would be staying in town. I can not understand Chipo going to ekhaya / kumusha (rural areas) and I be in town!
Experience or God’s Leading?
Like we said, we may face the same challenges that our parents faced or our children may face the same challenges that we faced.
It does not necessarily mean that what worked for our parents will work for us, nor does it mean what worked for us will work for our children
It is sometimes natural to want to use the same methods used by our parents or those ahead of us. Isaac used the same lying tactic used by Abraham that his wife was his sister.
Elisha used the same method used by Elijah of striking the river with the mantle and it worked but it may not always be the case.
Kin 2:8, “And Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they divided this way and that, so that the two of them went over on dry ground.” 2 Kin 2:14, “And he took the mantle that fell from Elijah and struck the waters and said, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he had struck the waters, they parted this way and that, and Elisha went over.”
It is important to find out what God says at any given situation and not always refer to experience.
When confronted with water problem, Moses used his rode, in Joshua, it was a different formula!
Ex 14:21-22 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided. And the Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Josh 3:15-17, “And when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were in the brink of the water--for the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest-- Then the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt [Dead] Sea, were wholly cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan”
I am not saying experience is wrong, but at times God may want to lead us differently, and so, we must not get bogged down with our previous methods.
It is important to follow God’s leading and ways of directing us.
David had war with the Philistines for more than two occasions, in all instances he asked from God before going to attack. God gave him different strategies in each instance. 2 Sam 5:17-25, “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went up to find [him], but [he] heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will surely deliver [them] into your hand. And David came to Baal-perazim, and he smote them there, and said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters. So he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of breaking through]. There the Philistines left their images, and David and his men took them away. The Philistines came up again and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of the Lord, He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over opposite the mulberry (or balsam) trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then bestir yourselves, for then has the Lord gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines. And David did as the Lord had commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.”
It is to be noted that in both the above instances, the Philistines came to attack David from the same place but he in both instances inquired of the Lord.
Sometimes, if we are not careful, we may even use the methods of the world and sin against God, David did that mistake. 1 Sam 6:10-15, “And the men did so, and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors. And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh Now the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box beside it in which were the figures of gold and put them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the Lord.” Here, we see the Philistines using a cart to carry the ark of God.
2 Sam 6:1-3, “AGAIN DAVID gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, 30,000. And [he] arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah [Kiriath-jearim] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts, Who sits enthroned above the cherubim. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.” We see David using the same method used by the Philistines, carrying the ark of God using a cart!
How Does God Lead Us?
The way God always talks to you or leads you in your daily life.
Do not always look for the spectacular
God normally uses simple ways to talk to us
i) Your conscience or your spirit man voice
ii) Simple reading the Word or listening to somebody speaking the Word
iii) Inward intuition, “green light” sensation
iv) Holy Spirit speaking to you audibly
v) Prophecy. It is to be noted though that in the New Testament, prophesy was not usually used for guidance but confirming what God had already told the person for whom the prophecy is intended. Acts 21:8-15, “On the morrow we left there and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven [first deacons], and stayed with him. And he had four maiden daughters who had the gift of prophecy. While we were remaining there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to [see] us, he took Paul's belt and with it bound his own feet and hands and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit: The Jews at Jerusalem shall bind like this the man who owns this belt, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (heathen). When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested {and} bound {and} imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord's will be done! After these days we packed our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.”
In the above incident, Paul did not receive guidance from the prophetic word but only a prediction or foretelling of what would befall him. It was not prophesied that he should go or not go to Jerusalem.
The bible says that they that are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. (It is said that the Greek work translated sons there literally means mature children), Rom 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”.
I have obeyed or followed simple the leading of my conscience and have seen great results in my life
As an example, this teaching came as Pastor Ncube was preaching on the above text and I began writing things I felt were being impressed by the Spirit in my heart, I will give other examples later.
Break The Norm If Need Be!
If your parents or others you know had marital or marriage problems, you might have seen them use certain methods to address their problems
Others used to fight or husbands used to beat up their wives, etc, this will not work for you. It might have seemed to have worked for somebody but it will not work for you.
You need to apply what God says about things to bring solutions, Isaiah 34:16 “Seek out of the book of the Lord and read: not one of these [details of prophecy] shall fail, none shall want {and} lack her mate [in fulfillment]. For the mouth [of the Lord] has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.”
When there was a need or lack in my family during my father’s days, he left Zimbabwe and went to “Wenela” in South Africa to work in the mines; that is not what I need to do today when I face the same challenges!
Your answer, destiny, purpose may be quite different from that of your parents or leaders; hence your methods may also be different.
Your parents could have acted in a certain way in certain situations but you might need to act differently as your purpose in life could be different.
When growing up, there was a time we washed maize seeds for food, I cannot expect Tereo our daughter to do the same!
You need to purpose in your heart to obey and follow God’s leading for your life
You might need to build or learn from what others did and do better
Do not settle for the same things that your parents achieved, aim for more.
If your parents or those before you attained O’ level, aim for degree(s), if your parents owned a bicycle, aim for a car, if they did not own a house, aim for one. If your parents have a house in the low density suburbs, aim for one in the low density!
If your parents are renting one room, aim for more.
When I started to look for my own rented accommodation, I started with renting two rooms, in the high density, then moved to a 3 roomed cottage in the medium density, them a 3 bed roomed flat in town, then a 3 bed roomed house in the low density (Hillside)!
When I moved to Hillside, I had discouragement from many people including my closest friends. It was genuine concern from some of them of course. Even some of my superiors at work discouraged me to move there. Even my wife did not quite agree with the idea. The rent then was Zim$20 million in March 2006. That was quite a huge some then. But, I knew what I wanted, I new my destiny. People said that you can’t afford to secure your own accommodation if you pay such kind of rent. They said I would rather move to the high density areas and save money for a stand or house. Some said I did not even have much assets to justify renting such a house.
In such criticism and advice, I still did what I thought was right for my family; I took the risk and moved to Hillside, many of those people now enjoy visiting us at Hillside.
At times you need to stand your ground and do what is right inspite of criticism.
Advice Or Discouragement?
I am not saying people should not take advice, I am not saying young people should not listen to their parents; I am not saying do listen to your friends.
I am saying above all; listen to what God is saying.
Sometimes when people discourage you from doing something, it would be because of the risk involved but at times you need to take risks in life.
I have listened to advice many times and stopped some of the things I would have wanted to do.
But at times I have listened to my heart and did what I believed God wanted me to do despite what others thought.
When I got a job as a clerk in Innscor, some people discouraged me, saying I should not leave my then current employer. I did not know Innscor much then but I decided to leave and join Innscor. Today, praise God I did the right move. This company has done a lot in my life; I have grown much when at Innscor. I started driving there, I started being a manager there, it was there that I could afford to live at Hillside, etc
But it is not always the same methods that work. There was a time when there was restructuring at Innscor, my them boss left for another company. In that company it was like they were getting part of their salary in forex. I also got a job there; I went and worked there for one day. In the process my managers at Innscor were advising and negotiating with me to come back, I felt led to go back. I am glad I went back for I believe even today that I was not meant to leave!
So, it is important to listen to what God says, do not just do what others did or what you did and it worked for you yesterday, obey what God is saying now.
At times God’s ways may seem foolish, risk and not making sense, but if it is God, you are better off obeying Him.
At times our parents, pastors, leaders and friends may see things differently from what God wants or what we perceive.
I 100% believe in advice but at the same time I believe in God’s leading. Advice and or counsel should not substitute God’s leading.
There was a time that I wanted to make a decision about my life and ministry. I shared my thinking with pastors M. and G. I then asked Pastor M to informally tell our senior Pastor A. Ndlovu. (That was before I was pastor). A Ndlovu indicated to pastor M. that he would allow me to make that decision, I simple listened to his word, I stopped what I wanted to do. I am glad that I listened to him!
At the same time in my life I have made very risky and awkward decisions but I would have felt led by my conscience. E.g., when I made the decision to marry Chipo, there were some that did not like me marrying somebody from a different tribe as she is Shona. Even today some ask me, what is your wife’s surname or where does your wife come from? After I tell them you can tell that they are surprised. Well when I decided to marry her, those that understood me knew that I stand by my decisions and very few publicly opposed me!
Today even those that doubted are blessed by her being my wife because I realized that my destiny is attached to her. (I say this with an honest heart, there are positive things that were not going to be seen in my life had I not gotten married to her. And as matter of fact, I have tried to imagine, I do not see anybody that would have been ideal for me except her. I have seen women and ladies from a distance I have not seen one who would really match me like her!)
Today there are things that I / we do that other people seem not to understand, e.g. we are teaching our daughter Tereo to speak English and not Ndebele or Shona. We know why we are doing that, we slightly understand her destiny. So, some have queried why we are doing that, some have deliberately talked to her in Ndebele not because they do not know English but because they are trying to oppose what we are doing. I have seen that and laughed to myself. I have gone beyond doing things that are meant to please other but to do things that I believe are right. I am not afraid to be unpopular with what I do. I am not afraid to be criticized, I am not afraid to be mocked for what I believe!
You need to obey God’s leading for your life, He knows better
When Paul was going to Jerusalem, his friends tried to stop him but he would not, Acts 21:12-14, “When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested {and} bound {and} imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord's will be done!”
When Jesus talked about His death, Peter tried to discourage Him, Mark 8:31-33, “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must of necessity suffer many things and be tested {and} disapproved {and} rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be put to death, and after three days rise again [from death]. And He said this freely (frankly, plainly, and explicitly, making it unmistakable). And Peter took Him by the hand {and} led Him aside and then [facing Him] began to rebuke Him. But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills, but what pleases men [you are not on God's side, but that of men].”
A Word To Parents
Some parents have good plans and good intentions for their children but that may not be God’s plans for their lives.
We need to ask ourselves, what do we want for our children, is it our will or God’s purpose for their lives?
Sometimes our children may want to do things that we do not understand, but if it is God, let us allow God’s will to prevail.
As parents, we need to release our children to the will and purpose of God.
We can not always detect to them what they should do especially when they get older.
During generations past, parents used to tell their children who to marry or not to marry; they used to find wives for their sons, if that worked then it cannot work now. Actually the bible has this to say, Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, {and} prudent wife is from the Lord.”
So, it is the duty of parents and their responsibility to provide for their children and leave or give them an inheritance and houses. (What is it that you are giving and or will leave for your children? What inheritance? What houses?)
I have purposed in my heart that when my children get married, I should give them houses at least as wedding presents.
Despite the fact that parents are responsible for providing and leaving inheritance for their children, we are not supposed to decide for them what to do, No, not even with the inheritance we leave for them!
I do not think it is proper also to choose careers for our children, we can advise and help them to decide but I believe that the final decision has to come from them. Unless if God has specifically told you what they should do but even then, God would need to also talk to them also.
Do not force your children to be like you or to do things the way you want, you had an opportunity yourself to live your life and do what you wanted, why not afford your children that opportunity also?
As a parent you may think you know more, fine, but God knows better than you do, so, pray for your children and ask God to help and guide them but do not force them to do things your way.
Troubles and challenges will confront us all in life.
Being called by God or being Christians does not exempt us from challenges
As Christians, we are not guaranteed or promised a life free of challenges but we are promised victory, there is no victory without a fight.
Is 41:10, “Fear not [there is nothing to fear], for I am with you; do not look around you in terror {and} be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen {and} harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you; yes, I will hold you up {and} retain you with My [victorious] right hand of rightness {and} justice.” 1 Cor 15:57, “But thanks be to God, Who gives us the victory [making us conquerors] through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
In the above scriptures, we are promised God’s company and protection in the midst of challenges.
The magnitude or level of challenges will differ but we all have to confront or be confronted with situations at one point or another in life.
There are different ways and methods we use to handle situations and many a times we do what we have seen others do.
When the famine confronted Isaac, he probably thought of how Abraham had reacted to the same challenge.
The bible does not say it, but most probably Isaac was intending to go to Egypt like his father had done because we hear God saying, “Do not go to Egypt.”
Gen 12:10-13, “Now there was a famine in the land, and Abram went down into Egypt to live temporarily, for the famine in the land was oppressive (intense and grievous). And when he was about to enter into Egypt, he said to Sarai his wife, I know that you are beautiful to behold. So when the Egyptians see you, they will say, This is his wife; and they will kill me, but they will let you live. Say, I beg of you, that you are my sister, so that it may go well with me for your sake and my life will be spared because of you.”
So, we can deduce that Isaac was using the same tactics that his father Abraham was using.
At times we need to be careful because what worked yesterday may not work today or what worked for somebody may not necessarily work for you.
The methods used by your parents may not be relevant for us today.
Using The Natural Example
In the bible days, people used to travel long distances preaching the gospel, it may not be necessary for us now to use the same modes or methods now that we have modern technology, vehicles, tvs, internet, satellite, etc.
History tells us that our forefathers used to wear animal skins for clothes, it is not necessary for us to use the same methods today.
The generation before us (our very own parents – in Zimbabwean context) grew up at a time when attaining standard 6 was considered being educated. Things have been changing ever since, it went up ZJC, O’ level, A’ level, tertiary qualification and currently the minimum qualification for employment though not officially said is a degree.
In days to come, the minimum qualification could be a Masters degree. May be in the days of our children it will be a PHD!
So, young people keep on developing yourselves as much as you can. Do not settle for what worked for those ahead of you, aim for more!
What worked for your parents in terms of education, may not work for you. In the same way what worked for you may not work for your children.
In the natural we need to adapt to change, technology, etc.
Our grand parents used to say town life was not right, people needed to live in the rural areas. Even if you were working in town, you needed to go to the rural areas every week. It was said people did not need to have formal accommodation in towns, town life was not good!
Some of our parents failed even to register for free family houses that the councils were giving to people.
Some older generation men send or used to send their wives to the rural areas and them (the man) would be staying in town. I can not understand Chipo going to ekhaya / kumusha (rural areas) and I be in town!
Experience or God’s Leading?
Like we said, we may face the same challenges that our parents faced or our children may face the same challenges that we faced.
It does not necessarily mean that what worked for our parents will work for us, nor does it mean what worked for us will work for our children
It is sometimes natural to want to use the same methods used by our parents or those ahead of us. Isaac used the same lying tactic used by Abraham that his wife was his sister.
Elisha used the same method used by Elijah of striking the river with the mantle and it worked but it may not always be the case.
Kin 2:8, “And Elijah took his mantle and rolled it up and struck the waters, and they divided this way and that, so that the two of them went over on dry ground.” 2 Kin 2:14, “And he took the mantle that fell from Elijah and struck the waters and said, Where is the Lord, the God of Elijah? And when he had struck the waters, they parted this way and that, and Elisha went over.”
It is important to find out what God says at any given situation and not always refer to experience.
When confronted with water problem, Moses used his rode, in Joshua, it was a different formula!
Ex 14:21-22 Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the Lord caused the sea to go back by a strong east wind all that night and made the sea dry land; and the waters were divided. And the Israelites went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left.” Josh 3:15-17, “And when those who bore the ark had come to the Jordan and the feet of the priests bearing the ark were in the brink of the water--for the Jordan overflows all its banks throughout the time of harvest-- Then the waters which came down from above stood and rose up in a heap far off, at Adam, the city that is beside Zarethan; and those flowing down toward the Sea of the Arabah, the Salt [Dead] Sea, were wholly cut off. And the people passed over opposite Jericho. And while all Israel passed over on dry ground, the priests who bore the ark of the covenant of the Lord stood firm on dry ground in the midst of the Jordan, until all the nation finished passing over the Jordan”
I am not saying experience is wrong, but at times God may want to lead us differently, and so, we must not get bogged down with our previous methods.
It is important to follow God’s leading and ways of directing us.
David had war with the Philistines for more than two occasions, in all instances he asked from God before going to attack. God gave him different strategies in each instance. 2 Sam 5:17-25, “When the Philistines heard that David had been anointed king over Israel, they all went up to find [him], but [he] heard of it and went down to the stronghold. The Philistines also came and spread themselves in the Valley of Rephaim. David inquired of the Lord, saying, Shall I go up against the Philistines? Will You deliver them into my hand? And the Lord said to David, Go up, for I will surely deliver [them] into your hand. And David came to Baal-perazim, and he smote them there, and said, The Lord has broken through my enemies before me, like the bursting out of great waters. So he called the name of that place Baal-perazim [Lord of breaking through]. There the Philistines left their images, and David and his men took them away. The Philistines came up again and spread themselves out in the Valley of Rephaim. When David inquired of the Lord, He said, You shall not go up, but go around behind them and come upon them over opposite the mulberry (or balsam) trees. And when you hear the sound of marching in the tops of the mulberry trees, then bestir yourselves, for then has the Lord gone out before you to smite the army of the Philistines. And David did as the Lord had commanded him, and smote the Philistines from Geba to Gezer.”
It is to be noted that in both the above instances, the Philistines came to attack David from the same place but he in both instances inquired of the Lord.
Sometimes, if we are not careful, we may even use the methods of the world and sin against God, David did that mistake. 1 Sam 6:10-15, “And the men did so, and took two milch cows and yoked them to the cart and shut up their calves at home. And they put the ark of the Lord on the cart and along with it the box with the mice of gold and the images of their tumors. And the cows went straight toward Beth-shemesh along the highway, lowing as they went, and turned not aside to the right or the left. And the Philistine lords followed them as far as the border of Beth-shemesh Now the men of Beth-shemesh were reaping their wheat harvest in the valley, and they lifted up their eyes and saw the ark, and rejoiced to see it. The cart came into the field of Joshua of Beth-shemesh and stopped there. A great stone was there; and the men split up the wood of the cart and offered the cows as a burnt offering to the Lord. The Levites took down the ark of the Lord and the box beside it in which were the figures of gold and put them upon the great stone. And the men of Beth-shemesh offered burnt offerings and made sacrifices that day to the Lord.” Here, we see the Philistines using a cart to carry the ark of God.
2 Sam 6:1-3, “AGAIN DAVID gathered together all the chosen men of Israel, 30,000. And [he] arose and went with all the people who were with him to Baale-judah [Kiriath-jearim] to bring up from there the ark of God, which is called by the name of the Lord of hosts, Who sits enthroned above the cherubim. And they set the ark of God upon a new cart and brought it out of the house of Abinadab, which was on the hill; and Uzzah and Ahio, sons of Abinadab, drove the new cart.” We see David using the same method used by the Philistines, carrying the ark of God using a cart!
How Does God Lead Us?
The way God always talks to you or leads you in your daily life.
Do not always look for the spectacular
God normally uses simple ways to talk to us
i) Your conscience or your spirit man voice
ii) Simple reading the Word or listening to somebody speaking the Word
iii) Inward intuition, “green light” sensation
iv) Holy Spirit speaking to you audibly
v) Prophecy. It is to be noted though that in the New Testament, prophesy was not usually used for guidance but confirming what God had already told the person for whom the prophecy is intended. Acts 21:8-15, “On the morrow we left there and came to Caesarea; and we went into the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the Seven [first deacons], and stayed with him. And he had four maiden daughters who had the gift of prophecy. While we were remaining there for some time, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. And coming to [see] us, he took Paul's belt and with it bound his own feet and hands and said, Thus says the Holy Spirit: The Jews at Jerusalem shall bind like this the man who owns this belt, and they shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles (heathen). When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested {and} bound {and} imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord's will be done! After these days we packed our baggage and went up to Jerusalem.”
In the above incident, Paul did not receive guidance from the prophetic word but only a prediction or foretelling of what would befall him. It was not prophesied that he should go or not go to Jerusalem.
The bible says that they that are led by the Spirit are the sons of God. (It is said that the Greek work translated sons there literally means mature children), Rom 8:14, “For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God”.
I have obeyed or followed simple the leading of my conscience and have seen great results in my life
As an example, this teaching came as Pastor Ncube was preaching on the above text and I began writing things I felt were being impressed by the Spirit in my heart, I will give other examples later.
Break The Norm If Need Be!
If your parents or others you know had marital or marriage problems, you might have seen them use certain methods to address their problems
Others used to fight or husbands used to beat up their wives, etc, this will not work for you. It might have seemed to have worked for somebody but it will not work for you.
You need to apply what God says about things to bring solutions, Isaiah 34:16 “Seek out of the book of the Lord and read: not one of these [details of prophecy] shall fail, none shall want {and} lack her mate [in fulfillment]. For the mouth [of the Lord] has commanded, and His Spirit has gathered them.”
When there was a need or lack in my family during my father’s days, he left Zimbabwe and went to “Wenela” in South Africa to work in the mines; that is not what I need to do today when I face the same challenges!
Your answer, destiny, purpose may be quite different from that of your parents or leaders; hence your methods may also be different.
Your parents could have acted in a certain way in certain situations but you might need to act differently as your purpose in life could be different.
When growing up, there was a time we washed maize seeds for food, I cannot expect Tereo our daughter to do the same!
You need to purpose in your heart to obey and follow God’s leading for your life
You might need to build or learn from what others did and do better
Do not settle for the same things that your parents achieved, aim for more.
If your parents or those before you attained O’ level, aim for degree(s), if your parents owned a bicycle, aim for a car, if they did not own a house, aim for one. If your parents have a house in the low density suburbs, aim for one in the low density!
If your parents are renting one room, aim for more.
When I started to look for my own rented accommodation, I started with renting two rooms, in the high density, then moved to a 3 roomed cottage in the medium density, them a 3 bed roomed flat in town, then a 3 bed roomed house in the low density (Hillside)!
When I moved to Hillside, I had discouragement from many people including my closest friends. It was genuine concern from some of them of course. Even some of my superiors at work discouraged me to move there. Even my wife did not quite agree with the idea. The rent then was Zim$20 million in March 2006. That was quite a huge some then. But, I knew what I wanted, I new my destiny. People said that you can’t afford to secure your own accommodation if you pay such kind of rent. They said I would rather move to the high density areas and save money for a stand or house. Some said I did not even have much assets to justify renting such a house.
In such criticism and advice, I still did what I thought was right for my family; I took the risk and moved to Hillside, many of those people now enjoy visiting us at Hillside.
At times you need to stand your ground and do what is right inspite of criticism.
Advice Or Discouragement?
I am not saying people should not take advice, I am not saying young people should not listen to their parents; I am not saying do listen to your friends.
I am saying above all; listen to what God is saying.
Sometimes when people discourage you from doing something, it would be because of the risk involved but at times you need to take risks in life.
I have listened to advice many times and stopped some of the things I would have wanted to do.
But at times I have listened to my heart and did what I believed God wanted me to do despite what others thought.
When I got a job as a clerk in Innscor, some people discouraged me, saying I should not leave my then current employer. I did not know Innscor much then but I decided to leave and join Innscor. Today, praise God I did the right move. This company has done a lot in my life; I have grown much when at Innscor. I started driving there, I started being a manager there, it was there that I could afford to live at Hillside, etc
But it is not always the same methods that work. There was a time when there was restructuring at Innscor, my them boss left for another company. In that company it was like they were getting part of their salary in forex. I also got a job there; I went and worked there for one day. In the process my managers at Innscor were advising and negotiating with me to come back, I felt led to go back. I am glad I went back for I believe even today that I was not meant to leave!
So, it is important to listen to what God says, do not just do what others did or what you did and it worked for you yesterday, obey what God is saying now.
At times God’s ways may seem foolish, risk and not making sense, but if it is God, you are better off obeying Him.
At times our parents, pastors, leaders and friends may see things differently from what God wants or what we perceive.
I 100% believe in advice but at the same time I believe in God’s leading. Advice and or counsel should not substitute God’s leading.
There was a time that I wanted to make a decision about my life and ministry. I shared my thinking with pastors M. and G. I then asked Pastor M to informally tell our senior Pastor A. Ndlovu. (That was before I was pastor). A Ndlovu indicated to pastor M. that he would allow me to make that decision, I simple listened to his word, I stopped what I wanted to do. I am glad that I listened to him!
At the same time in my life I have made very risky and awkward decisions but I would have felt led by my conscience. E.g., when I made the decision to marry Chipo, there were some that did not like me marrying somebody from a different tribe as she is Shona. Even today some ask me, what is your wife’s surname or where does your wife come from? After I tell them you can tell that they are surprised. Well when I decided to marry her, those that understood me knew that I stand by my decisions and very few publicly opposed me!
Today even those that doubted are blessed by her being my wife because I realized that my destiny is attached to her. (I say this with an honest heart, there are positive things that were not going to be seen in my life had I not gotten married to her. And as matter of fact, I have tried to imagine, I do not see anybody that would have been ideal for me except her. I have seen women and ladies from a distance I have not seen one who would really match me like her!)
Today there are things that I / we do that other people seem not to understand, e.g. we are teaching our daughter Tereo to speak English and not Ndebele or Shona. We know why we are doing that, we slightly understand her destiny. So, some have queried why we are doing that, some have deliberately talked to her in Ndebele not because they do not know English but because they are trying to oppose what we are doing. I have seen that and laughed to myself. I have gone beyond doing things that are meant to please other but to do things that I believe are right. I am not afraid to be unpopular with what I do. I am not afraid to be criticized, I am not afraid to be mocked for what I believe!
You need to obey God’s leading for your life, He knows better
When Paul was going to Jerusalem, his friends tried to stop him but he would not, Acts 21:12-14, “When we heard this, both we and the residents of that place pleaded with him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul replied, What do you mean by weeping and breaking my heart like this? For I hold myself in readiness not only to be arrested {and} bound {and} imprisoned at Jerusalem, but also [even] to die for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not yield to [our] persuading, we stopped [urging and imploring him], saying, The Lord's will be done!”
When Jesus talked about His death, Peter tried to discourage Him, Mark 8:31-33, “And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must of necessity suffer many things and be tested {and} disapproved {and} rejected by the elders and the chief priests and the scribes, and be put to death, and after three days rise again [from death]. And He said this freely (frankly, plainly, and explicitly, making it unmistakable). And Peter took Him by the hand {and} led Him aside and then [facing Him] began to rebuke Him. But turning around [His back to Peter] and seeing His disciples, He rebuked Peter, saying, Get behind Me, Satan! For you do not have a mind intent on promoting what God wills, but what pleases men [you are not on God's side, but that of men].”
A Word To Parents
Some parents have good plans and good intentions for their children but that may not be God’s plans for their lives.
We need to ask ourselves, what do we want for our children, is it our will or God’s purpose for their lives?
Sometimes our children may want to do things that we do not understand, but if it is God, let us allow God’s will to prevail.
As parents, we need to release our children to the will and purpose of God.
We can not always detect to them what they should do especially when they get older.
During generations past, parents used to tell their children who to marry or not to marry; they used to find wives for their sons, if that worked then it cannot work now. Actually the bible has this to say, Proverbs 19:14, “House and riches are the inheritance from fathers, but a wise, understanding, {and} prudent wife is from the Lord.”
So, it is the duty of parents and their responsibility to provide for their children and leave or give them an inheritance and houses. (What is it that you are giving and or will leave for your children? What inheritance? What houses?)
I have purposed in my heart that when my children get married, I should give them houses at least as wedding presents.
Despite the fact that parents are responsible for providing and leaving inheritance for their children, we are not supposed to decide for them what to do, No, not even with the inheritance we leave for them!
I do not think it is proper also to choose careers for our children, we can advise and help them to decide but I believe that the final decision has to come from them. Unless if God has specifically told you what they should do but even then, God would need to also talk to them also.
Do not force your children to be like you or to do things the way you want, you had an opportunity yourself to live your life and do what you wanted, why not afford your children that opportunity also?
As a parent you may think you know more, fine, but God knows better than you do, so, pray for your children and ask God to help and guide them but do not force them to do things your way.
