HOLDING TO THE WORD OF THE LORD

by Roberts Liardon

Unless otherwise indicated, all scriptural quotations are from the New King James Version of the Bible.

Holding To The Word Of The Lord

ISBN 1-87

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#op$ri%ht & 1 ' b$ (oberts )iardon *.+. Bo, !-71)a%una .ills, #/ 0"1' /ll (i%hts (eser2ed *rinted in U.S./. *ublished b$ 3mbass$ *ublishin% #o. *.+. Bo, !1-)a%una .ills, #alifornia 0"1' *rinted in the United States of /merica. /ll ri%hts reser2ed under International #op$ri%ht )aw. #ontents and4or co2er ma$ not be reproduced in whole or in part in an$ form without the e,press written consent of the *ublisher

CONTENTS

1 When Logic and Faith Collide................................5 2 Don't Ever Let GoEven in Victory.....................25 3 Why Yo Don't !eed a "#lan $"..........................3%

------------Chapter 1-----------1

WHEN LOGIC AND FAITH COLLIDE

Picture this. You're sitting in a boat, far out on a lake, miles away from the nearest shore. Suddenly, you hear the unmistakable voice of God. "Get out of the boat and walk on the water." What would you do Well, first of all, you'd !robably bang yourself on the side of the head a cou!le of times to make sure you weren't hearing things. "ut su!!ose that even after you did that, the voice was still as consistent and as loud as ever before. "Get out of the boat and walk on the water." #here would be only one thing to do in a situation like that, and that would be to get out of the boat and start walking on the water, $ust as God's voice was telling you to do. #hat's what ha!!ened to the %!ostle Peter. %nd when he ste!!ed out of the boat it was, to anybody

Holding to the Word of the Lord else who may have been watching, a very illogical and !erha!s even silly thing to do. "ut as long as Peter was res!onding in faith, the water might as well have been solid ground. &t su!!orted his body without a bit of trouble. 'owever, as soon as Peter let go of God's Word, and began to look at what he was doing from a logical !ers!ective, he was in big trouble. 'e began to sink like he was wearing concrete boots. & don't think it's likely that God is going to tell you to go walking across the nearest lake. "ut then again, 'e might. "ut whatever 'e calls you to do, there are bound to be times when 'is Word is going to collide with the world's notion of logic and good sense. (ther !eo!le will tell you that you're foolish if you follow the Word of the )ord. Your own brain may tell you that you're foolish if you follow the Word of the )ord. "ut you're never foolish to hold to God's Word. *ever in a billion years can you make a wrong move by doing what 'e tells you to do. #he truth is that when "logic" collides with a direct Word from God, logic crumbles into little !ieces, while the Word remains unbroken and

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When Logic and Faith Collide unmoved. #he "ible is full of e+am!les of !eo!le who were willing to follow God's Word instead of logic and who were blessed beyond measure because of it. ,or e+am!le&t was not logical for a humble she!herd named .oses to go before the mighty Pharaoh and demand that he set the /hildren of &srael free. "ut that's what God told him to do, that's what he did, and because of it the &sraelites were able to leave 0gy!t and make their way to the Promised )and. &t wasn't logical for *oah to build a huge boat so far from the nearest ocean, but he was obeying God's Word when he did it, and as a result *oah and his family were the only survivors of a world1 wide calamity. &t wasn't logical for Gideon to go u! against the entire fury of the .idianite %rmy with a tiny grou! of men armed with nothing more than !itchers and trum!ets, but he did what the Word of the )ord had commanded, and as a result, the nation of &srael threw off its o!!ressors and gained its inde!endence.

Holding to the Word of the Lord *or was it logical for %braham to believe it when God !ronounced him to be the father of many nations. %fter all, he didn't have any children at all, and he and his wife, Sarah, were !ast the age of child1bearing. %braham could have looked around himself, shook his head and said, ")ord, you must have me mi+ed u! with somebody else." "ut he didn't do that, and he did indeed become the father of many nations, $ust as God had !romised he would. ,or it was through the lineage of %braham that 2esus /hrist came into the world in the flesh3and so all of us who have surrendered our lives to /hrist can consider ourselves to be sons and daughters of %braham. %braham is a great e+am!le of someone who believed God's Word in s!ite of what his natural mind told him. %s 4omans 5-6 says, "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness." %nd then, verses 78197 tell us- "Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are

When Logic and Faith Collide of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all (as it is written, 'I have made you a father of many nations' in the presence of !im whom he believed, even God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not e"ist as though they did# who, contrary to hope, in hope believed, so that he became the father of many nations, according to what was spo$en, '%o shall your descendants be.' "And not being wea$ in faith, he did not consider his own body, already dead (since he was about a hundred years old , and the dead&ness of %arah's womb. "!e did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what !e had promised !e was also able to perform." *ow God may be s!eaking to you about something, $ust the way 'e s!oke to %braham, but you're struggling to trust God's word in the midst of a different kind of reality you see all around you. & have seen the struggle that some !eo!le go through. ,or e+am!le, when & was still a young boy, the )ord told me that 'e was going to send me to the

Holding to the Word of the Lord nations to !reach for 'im. .y logical mind said, "What's this about going around the world for God You don't even have a car: %nd even if you did, you couldn't afford enough gas to get to the other side of town3much less going to the other side of the world." "ut in s!ite of the doubts that assailed me, & clung fast to the Word of the )ord. & got a ma! of the world, !ut it u! on my wall, and every morning when & got u! to get ready for school, & would hit that ma! and say, "&'m coming to you, o!en u!:" & ke!t saying that day after day after day...even though some days my head would tell me that & was cra;y. %nd you know what God has taken me all over the world, to more than 8< countries, to !roclaim salvation through the name and the blood of 2esus /hrist: &'ll tell you something else. %t first, it wasn't easy for me to get used to doing so much traveling. &f & had my own way, & would !robably $ust as soon have stayed home where & was comfortable. #raveling can be very hard on the human body, es!ecially when you're always moving back and forth across time ;ones. You have $et lag. Sometimes

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When Logic and Faith Collide you can't remember what day it is, much less what time it is. &t seems like you're always standing in lines, looking for your luggage, and trying to get used to the local food and the local customs. & was always so glad when & got back home to the =nited States where & could drink the water right out of the ta! without worrying about getting sick, and where & could fli! a switch and have electric lights any time of the day or night. & loved having a chance to see the !eo!le in other countries and tell them about 2esus, but the traveling itself could really be e+hausting. %fter awhile, though, it wasn't so bad anymore. ,or one thing, as & traveled around the world, & was beginning to see the harvests come in from the seeds & had !lanted. %nd that was e+citing. ,or another thing, the desire to !reach the Gos!el is so strong in me that if & wasn't out there on the road, & would begin to feel antsy and unfulfilled3as if & really wasn't doing what God had called me to do. %nd then 'e s!oke to me again. "4oberts, & want you to build a school for glory."

my

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Holding to the Word of the Lord ""ut )ord," my mind !rotested, "&'m s!ending so much time on the road. 'ow in the world could & ever build a school for you " "ut the )ord's voice was !ersistent, and & knew & would obey3had to obey. %s 'e commanded, & would build a "ible School, where young men and women would be taught how to be effective ministers of the Gos!el. &t meant an entirely new direction for me. &t meant & couldn't travel as much. &t felt strange at first, but then came the !eaceful assurance that always accom!anies obedience. 'as God s!oken a s!ecific thing for you to do Perha!s 'e has given you something that may not even be in the same ball !ark with what you are doing right now. You might even be scratching your head and saying, "Well, & sure don't see how that's going to ha!!en." "ut you don't have to see how it's going to ha!!en. You $ust have to trust the )ord, know that 'is Word is always true, and that what 'e has !roclaimed for you will come to !ass if you are obedient and yielded to 'im. %nother thing to kee! in mind is that you cannot know how God is going to work things out.

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When Logic and Faith Collide You can't tell 'im, "Well, God, this is how & want You to do it." You must be yielded to 'im and not the other way around. God is not a cosmic errand boy who $um!s when we call 'is name3but 'e is a loving ,ather who wants only the best for us, and Who is able to mold us into what 'e wants us to be. %nd it's truly ama;ing what God can do in the lives of those who really believe 'is Word. Several years ago, & read a true story written by the mother of a little boy who was in the third grade. Well, this mom was listening to her son say his !rayers one night and was shocked to hear him say, "%nd thank you )ord, that you're going to let me fly." When the woman >uestioned her little boy about his !rayer, he said that he was certain that God had s!oken to him and told him that he was going to be able to fly. "You mean on a big air!lane, like when we go to see your Grand!a " "*o, like this." %nd the little guy began fla!!ing his arms like a bird.

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Holding to the Word of the Lord Well, naturally the woman didn't know what to do. %fter all, little boys can't fly by fla!!ing their arms. "ut she had worked so hard to build u! her son's faith, and she didn't want to do or say anything that might damage it. &n the weeks that followed, he ke!t on believing that he was going to be able to fla! his wings and fly around the room. 'is faith never wavered. %nd then one day, the little boy came home from school all e+cited. &t seems his class was going to !ut on a !erformance of Peter Pan, and he had been selected for the starring role: When the day of the !erformance came, guess what #he school had rigged u! a contra!tion, consisting of ro!es and !ulleys, whereby Peter Pan was able to "fly" around the room3and of course he was absolutely beside himself with delight. %s soon as the !erformance was over, he couldn't wait to run into his mother's arms and say, "See, & told you God said 'e was going to let me fly:" *ow you may be thinking that it's a very long way from that fulfillment of God's Word to the fulfillment of what 'e has s!oken to you. "ut is it,

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When Logic and Faith Collide really % little boy believed that God would let him fly around the room and he did fly around the room. Perha!s God has been calling you to do something great for 'is kingdom, and you look around you and say, "'ow, )ord & can't do something like that " (h, yes, you can. &f you acce!t and believe God's Word with the faith of a child, you will see the glory of the )ord: 4emember the words of 2esus- "%ssuredly, & say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven." ?.atthew 7@-6A What did %braham do when God s!oke to him 'e began to s!eak the same language that God was s!eaking. 'e agreed with God that what 'e had said was true3that, "Yes, )ord, & believe that & will be the father of many nations. When God s!eaks to you, your language must begin to echo God's language. When %braham first began to say, "& am the father of many nations," &'m sure his friends and neighbors must have thought he was totally out of his mind. /an't you !icture them !ointing at him and laughing behind his back "Poor old guy has really lost his mind. Boesn't even have

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Holding to the Word of the Lord one child and thinks he's the father of many nations." "ut %braham let them laugh. 'e didn't know how the Word of the )ord was going to be fulfilled. 'e $ust knew that it was going to ha!!en: #here are !lenty of !eo!le in this world who like nothing better than to run around with !ins, !o!!ing other !eo!le's balloons. #hey don't want God's word to come true. #hey don't want you to succeed. "ut don't listen to them. )isten to God: &t's easy to hold onto God's Word when everyone around you agrees with it. &t's not so easy when they are vehement in their o!!osition to it. When & was still in my teens, God called me into the ministry. 'e wasn't telling me that 'e wanted me to go into the ministry "some day." 'e was telling me that 'e wanted me to start !reaching "right now." Well, not everybody was thrilled with the idea of a boy1!reacher. & heard comments like, "You're too young to be a !reacher," and "%re you sure you're really listening to God " Some !eo!le thought & was being !resum!tuous or that & was getting carried away with a sense of my own

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When Logic and Faith Collide im!ortance. #hey wanted me to know my !lace and to stay there3to do the things "normal" teenagers do. "ut it didn't matter what anyone else said. 0ven at that early age & knew that God's voice was the only one really worth listening to. %nd so & began !reaching in churches throughout my hometown of #ulsa, and, as a result of my obedience to God's word, & saw hundreds of !eo!le come to salvation through faith in /hrist. =nfortunately, this world of ours is full of critics. Bo you know what a critic is #hat's someone who can't or won't try to do anything himself, but who gets great delight out of critici;ing others who do try to do things. #he critic says, "#his guy's not much of a teacher," but he won't volunteer to teach himself. #he critic says, "/an you believe she had the nerve to sing a solo in church with her voice " "ut she's not about to get u! and use her own voice to glorify God. #he critic says, "#his fellow's got a lot of nerve, thinking that God has told him to start a "ible school." "ut he doesn't take the time to listen to what

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Holding to the Word of the Lord God might be saying to him. Some !eo!le are >uick to see the negative in every situation. You give them some good news and they will say, "Yes, but." #hat's their favorite saying, "Yes, but." "Yes, but what about this " "Yes, but have you thought about that " "Yes, but what if such1and1 such ha!!ens " Sometimes & have $ust had to look somebody like that right in the eye and say, "(h, shut u!, in 2esus name:" &'m so ha!!y and so e+cited when God s!eaks to me that & can scarcely contain my $oy, but then some of my friends start with, "Well, 4oberts, what about this, or that " %nd that's terribly disa!!ointing, because & didn't ask for a dissecting of the word of the )ord. & wanted my friends to be e+cited with me regarding what God was going to be doing in my life: %braham didn't ask God to give him two cha!ters of e+!lanation as to how it was going to be !ossible for him and Sarah to have a child at their advanced age. 'e $ust believed God and agreed that "& am the father of many nations." 'e didn't look at Sarah and say, "*o way:" Sarah didn't look at him and say, "#hat's right...no way:" %braham and Sarah considered and held fast to what God had said to them.

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When Logic and Faith Collide %s 4omans 5-9<197 says, "!e did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what !e had promised !e was also able to perform." What does it mean to be fully convinced & like what (ral 4oberts says- "&t means that you know that you know, that you know that you know, that you know that you know, that you know that you know, that you know that you know it's so." %nd that's the way it was for %braham. %s & said, the world is full of critics and nay1 sayers, but what you have to kee! in mind is that if God has told you to do something or other, then 'e knows that you have the ability and the resources to do it. %nd you can also be assured that 'e will work through you to accom!lish 'is !ur!oses in your life. %re !eo!le critici;ing you and saying negative things about you because you are holding fast to God's Word Well, $ust listen to what critics have said about some other !eo!le you've !robably heard of. 0arly in her career, a movie !roducer told

Holding to the Word of the Lord )ucille "all that she had absolutely no acting talent and that she ought to forget about being in show business. She didn't listen, and all of us who have laughed at her antics are very glad she didn't. % !ublishing com!any sent a letter to a beginning author by the name of Cane Grey saying that he couldn't write, would never be able to write, and that they wished he would sto! wasting their time with his material. "ut Grey ke!t on writing, and wound u! with literally do;ens of best1sellers and millions of books sold. #homas 0dison's father believed his son to be "a dunce," and once whi!!ed the boy in !ublic for his failures at school. When )udwig von "eethoven was a boy, his !iano teacher !ronounced him as "ho!eless," and said that he had no musical ability whatsoever. & could go on with !age after !age of e+am!les of !eo!le who refused to listen to their critics, but who, instead, continued to !ursue their dreams. & am not saying that all of the !eo!le &'ve listed were !articularly godly, or that they were following what God had told them to do. & don't know about that one way or the other. "ut & do know that they didn't

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When Logic and Faith Collide listen to their critics and neither should you3 es!ecially when God is on your side: 4omans 7<-7D tells us that "faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God." )isten to God's word to you, and not to the words of the critics and the nay1sayers, and your faith will be built u! to the !oint where you can see !ast the barriers and the obstacles that might otherwise kee! you from finishing the work that God has called you to. ,aith causes things to ha!!en: %braham was not weak in faith. 'e ke!t rehearsing what God had said3ke!t on holding to it. 'e could have focused on the negatives- "&'m an old man. Sarah is an old woman. We've been married all these years without having any children, so how in the world can & believe &'m going to have a son now " "ut instead, he ke!t focusing on God's word to him- "You will be the father of many nations." & am always sur!rised by how many !eo!le in the modern world try to tell God what to think and how to act. (ur society is full of !eo!le trying to act like 2ehovah. When you begin to obey, that's when they start to critici;e. "Well, & $ust don't think you

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Holding to the Word of the Lord ought to do that " #hose !eo!le need to think less and believe and obey more. #he "ible says that %braham held to faith, not being weak in faith. 'e built himself u!. 'e considered not his body, now dead. 'e lived in faith that what God had said to him would come to !ass, no matter how im!ossible it may have looked to those who were seeing only through !hysical eyes. %lways remember that your security is in the word of God. #here is no security in how much money you have, or in the fact that you live in a fancy home in a nice neighborhood. #here is no security in your career, or the investments you've made. #here is not even any security in the relationshi!s you have with other !eo!le. Your money may be stolen, your house may burn down, you may lose your $ob, and your investments may go sour. 0ven your friends and loved ones may disa!!oint you. Security is found only one !lace in this world, and that is in the abiding Word of God. & don't mean to im!ly that God's word won't be challenging. &t may shake you out of your routine. "ut it is still true that following and obeying is the

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When Logic and Faith Collide only !ossible source of security. You know, in the charismatic movement, some !eo!le have got to the !oint where they believe that God only s!eaks to us in nice, sweet little encouraging words. 'e says things like, "(h, my !eo!le, & love you. 'ang in there and everything will be all right. & know that life can be hard sometimes, but remember that & love you and it will hel! you get through." Well, &'m not doubting God's love for a moment, and & do believe that 'e wants us all to be encouraged and strengthened by 'is !resence in our lives. "ut & know that 'e is also calling us to boldness and action in 'is behalf. 'e says things like, "& want you to build a big church for me " "Who, me:" "Yes, you." "(h...uh...well, & thought God was talking to me, but & reali;ed now that it must have been the devil. %fter all, God only says things like, '"e encouraged. "e at !eace. & love you.'" #he God we serve is not like that.

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Holding to the Word of the Lord 'e says things like, "& want you to go and !reach the Gos!el." "& want you to go and feed the !oor in my name." "& want you to get involved in a crisis !regnancy center where you can hel! save lives." "& want you to become a missionary." "ut some of us answer, "What .e (h, well, listen, )ord, you must not know me very well: & can't start a church for you: Why, & can hardly !ay my light bill. .y children are all in rebellion. .y life is so mi+ed u! and confused, !lease don't ask me to do something great for you: Well, let me tell you, if God didn't see in you the ability and ca!acity to do great things for 'im, then 'e wouldn't ask you to do those things. 'e knows the greatness that 'e has built into you, and 'e wants to work with and through you to develo! and utili;e it. What is God saying to you Whatever it is, believe it, act u!on it, and $ust watch what ha!!ens:

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------------Chapter 2-----------2

DON'T EVER LET GOEVEN IN VICTORY

%t the beginning of this book, we talked about what ha!!ened when the %!ostle Peter got out of a boat and started trying to walk on the water. You remember that Peter became distracted by the wind and the waves, momentarily lost his faith, and began to sink like a rock. #hat moment was undoubtedly etched in Peter's mind forever as one of his biggest failures. "ut actually, it began as one of his greatest successes. Peter was doing what no other man has ever done ?with the e+ce!tion of 2esusA. 'e was walking along on the to! of the Sea of Galilee like somebody out for a stroll on a Sunday afternoon. &magine how the other a!ostles felt when they saw Peter get out of that boat and start walking. ")ook at him, he's actually walking on the water /an you believe it " &'m sure they were thrilled and ama;ed by their brother's demonstration of faith.

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Holding to the Word of the Lord "ut that's not where the story ended. &n his moment of victory, Peter let go of God's Word, and his moment of trium!h was swallowed u! by failure. & have seen that sort of thing ha!!en so many times. Sometimes !eo!le let go of God's Word because they are sur!rised by the success that has come their way. #hey think, like Peter did, "& can't really be doing this: Something's bound to go wrong. & know it's all going to fall a!art." %nd when their fears become stronger than their faith, it does fall a!art. (ther !eo!le have let go of God's Word because they have become overly confident. #hey've built u! some kind of !ersonal em!ire, it seems to be running well, and they get to the !oint where they no longer think they need to listen to God. God may even be telling them that it's time to move on in an entirely new direction, but they're not listening. &nstead, they're doing the same old thing, only now they're trying to do it in their own !ower instead of in God's !ower, and that always means disaster. Some !eo!le tend to look at God in the same way a child would look at a !arent who was teaching him how to ride a two1wheel bicycle.

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When Logic and Faith Collide You've seen that, &'m sure. Bad's running along behind his little boy, who's trying his best to kee! the handlebars steady and !edal at the same time. ,inally, dad gives a big !ush and the youngster is off, riding on his own. "#hanks, dad, but & don't need your hel! anymore:" We can never say, "#hanks, God, but we don't need your hel! anymore. We always need 'is hel!: %s long as you and & are living on this fallen !lanet, we are going to face challenges and hurdles. Satan is never going to sto! trying to do something to get us to stumble, so there's never a time when it's okay to let go of God's word or 'is hand. Sometimes the )ord may tell you to do something that seems totally contradictory to everything else 'e has asked you to do. &f 'e does this, though, there are at least a cou!le of things to kee! in mind. #he first is that the )ord is the only (ne Who knows how things are going to come together in your life. 'e is the only (ne Who sees the twists and turns that will be necessary to get you to where you want to be3to where 'e wants you to be. #he second reason is that God may be wanting to !urify your motives. &n other words, 'e wants to

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Holding to the Word of the Lord ensure that you are holding to 'is word because you believe and trust 'im no matter what, and not because you are looking for the things 'e can give you. #o e+!lain what &'m talking about, let's go back to %braham and &saac. We've already talked about the fact that %braham believed God's !romise that he would become the father of many nations, even though he and his wife were both old and had no children. %nd so, true to the Word of the )ord, Sarah conceived and gave birth to a son, &saac. *ow & ho!e that when &saac was born, %braham and Sarah threw a huge !arty to celebrate, and & ho!e they invited all of the !eo!le who had said, "%braham, you're cra;y to go around saying that God told you you'd be the father of many nations. You must be delirious. God hasn't s!oken to you." &'m sure it would have given %braham a great deal of satisfaction to show off his baby boy and say things like, "Would you like to hold my delusion for awhile 'ey, you who ridiculed me the most, how'd you like to change his dia!ers " 'ow good it must have been for %braham to be able to say, "See what God can do: 'e is always true to 'is word:"

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When Logic and Faith Collide %nd then what ha!!ened God said, "%braham, & want you to go out into the wilderness to offer me a sacrifice3and & want the sacrifice to be your son, &saac." &magine how %braham must have felt when he heard those words. 'e had waited so long for this little boy to be born. 'e had held onto God's !romise that he would become the father of many nations, even when his friends and neighbors were laughing at him. %nd now, as a very old man, he was e+!eriencing for the very first time the $oy of a develo!ing father1son relationshi!. 'e was discovering what a wonderful feeling !arental love can be. %nd God said, "& want you to show .e how much you love .e by giving .e the life of your only son." What would you have done if you were %braham .ost of us would !robably throw what my mother used to call a "conni!tion" fit. "What are you talking about, )ord 'ow can you ask me to do something like this %ll of my friends thought & was a nut for believing me when you said & was going to be a father, and now they're

Holding to the Word of the Lord really going to think &'m a nut if & offer him u! as a sacrifice. & $ust can't do it: & won't do it:" You see, %braham had attained his goal. 'e had become a father. "ut here came the ne+t challenge, a test to see whether he was willing to sacrifice everything in order to obey God. %nd 'ebrews 77-7D17E tells us- "'y faith, Abraham, when he was tested, offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said, 'In Isaac your seed shall be called,' accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead...." %braham walked out of his home that morning, on his way to sacrifice to the )ord. 'is servants were with him, &saac was with him, but there wasn't anything else for a sacrifice. *o ram or goat or bull. Picture little &saac running on ahead of everyone...doing the things little boys do3throwing rocks, kicking at sticks and leaves, and asking a hundred >uestions. Fuestions like, "Bad...what are we going to sacrifice " %nd %braham answers softly, "&t's okay son. We'll find something to sacrifice. God will !rovide." Yet he knows all the while that his !recious little boy

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When Logic and Faith Collide is going to be !laced u!on that altar. 'e would not be dissuaded from holding fast to the word of the )ord, nor from his faith that God always knew what was right and best. &f God said, "& want you to give me your son," then %braham was going to give God his son. &t was that sim!le. %nd so this little !rocession arrives at the s!ot where the sacrifice is to take !lace. %braham !iles the wood on to! of the altar and makes other !re!arations for the sacrifice. "ut little &saac is looking around, more !er!le+ed than ever. "& don't understand, Bad. We don't have any animals with us." %nd %braham is forced to say, ".y son, you are the sacrifice." %nd having said that, he ties the little boy u!, !laces him on the altar, and !re!ares to strike him dead. "ut it is !recisely at that moment, and not a moment sooner, that an angel sto!s %braham, and tells him that God does not want him to offer the boy as a sacrifice, but was only testing his faithfulness. "ut you see, %braham didn't know that was

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Holding to the Word of the Lord going to ha!!en. When he raised his knife to strike his son, he didn't understand why this was what God commanded, but he was willing to do it anyway. %nd he was still believing God's !romise that he would be the father of many nations. &n the natural, there was no way for %braham to fit all of the !ieces together. #hey $ust did not make sense. "ut %braham was willing to say, ")ord, & don't understand it. "ut you do. %nd & can't do anything other than trust you." You see, similar things will ha!!en in your life. #here will be challenges and o!!ositions to you. &t will look like if you do the things God is telling you to do that everything will be destroyed instead of built u!. Persecutions and accusations will come along to make you withdraw from the word, to kee! you from being strong in the faith. You will be hit in your s!irit to make you let go of the word and hold onto natural things. "ut if you let go of God's Word, you will die: & have held onto what God has said to me and have not let go of it. &'ve been hit, and &'ve had victories. & have learned that whatever seems to be ha!!ening, whether it is good or bad, the most im!ortant thing & can do is to hold onto God's Word.

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When Logic and Faith Collide &t is my foundation, and it is my security: "4oberts do you know what you're doing " "Yes, &'m doing what God has told me to do." ""ut, & mean, do you understand what the outcome of this will be " "*o, & don't need to understand that. %ll & need to know is that God told me to do it, and 'e e+!ects me to obey." (bedience, and not our own understanding, is the key. &t's not as im!ortant for me to understand why God wants me to do something as it is im!ortant for me to know what 'e is telling me to do, and be willing to do it. %s we can see from the life of %braham, it is not always easy to hold to the Word of the )ord. &t can be terribly, terribly difficult. &n fact, the "ible has many accounts of !eo!le who tried to run away from God's Word3but who ultimately found their destinies in obedience. ,or e+am!le, .oses didn't want to obey when God told him that he had been chosen to bring the /hildren of &srael out of 0gy!t. 'e said something

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Holding to the Word of the Lord like this- ""ut )ord, you know how tongue1tied & get. &'ll get in front of Pharaoh and start stammering and stuttering and make a com!lete fool of myself. & really don't think that will convince him that &'m a re!resentative of the (ne Who created the universe." "ut eventually, .oses agreed to do things God's way, and he became the great leader of an entire nation. When the Word of God came to a young man named Saul, telling him that he had been chosen to be the first king of &srael, Saul tried to hide among some baggage. 'e was thinking something like, "What .e, be king God...you must have me mi+ed u! with somebody else. & don't want the $ob. Please...&'m not >ualified:" "ut God would not be dissuaded from his choice of Saul, and he went on to lead &srael into a number of great military victories. When God told Gideon that he had been chosen to lead the &sraelites into battle against their o!!ressors, the .idianites, Gideon re!lied that he couldn't do it because he came from the least of the families of &srael, and that he was the least one in

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When Logic and Faith Collide that least family. "ut God knew who he was choosing, and Gideon went on to !rove on the battlefield that God's choice was the correct one. #here are other e+am!les- 2onah, who tried to run in the o!!osite direction when God told him to go !reach to the !eo!le who lived in *ineveh. 2eremiah, who said he couldn't s!eak to the !eo!le because he was only a youth. 0li$ah, who fled into the wilderness and hid because he thought he was the only one left who was on God's side. #ake a closer look at the lives of some of these heroes from the "ible, though, and you'll find out that they stumbled not at the beginning of their walk with the )ord...but much later on, when they had gained a bit more confidence, when they were flush with the heady feeling of success. ,or e+am!le, it wasn't until .oses struck a rock to get water for the !eo!le, instead of s!eaking to the rock as God had commanded him to do, that he got into trouble. &t seemed natural to .oses to strike the rock, because he had done that so many times before. "ut this time, God had said clearly to s!eak to the rock and the water would !our forth. .oses wasn't listening, and he did the wrong thing. %s a

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Holding to the Word of the Lord result, he was not allowed to enter the Promised )and. ?See *umbers 9<-@179A #he same thing ha!!ened with Saul. God ordered him to destroy all of the %malekites, but he didn't listen, and as a result the kingdom was taken away from him and given to Bavid. ?See 7 Samuel 7<-7G19@A %nd look at Gideon. ,resh from his victory on the battlefield, he fashioned an idol, which "became a snare to Gideon and to his house." ?2udges @-9919@A *ote again that it wasn't in the beginning that these !eo!le stumbled. &t was when they were gaining confidence. When they were feeling !retty good about themselves, like !erha!s they didn't need to listen all that closely to the word of the )ord anymore. #here is nobody anywhere who doesn't need to listen to the word of the )ord. #here are a lot of !eo!le who aren't listening to what God has to say, and that's why the world is in such a mess. 4emember the old commercial, "When 0.,. 'utton s!eaks, everybody listens." Wouldn't this world of ours be a wonderful !lace if it were true that when God s!oke, everyone listened

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When Logic and Faith Collide Well, it's not going to ha!!en this side of the .illennium. "ut it can ha!!en on a !ersonal level3 in your life. #here is !eace, !ros!erity and $oy in the word of the )ord. %s Beuteronomy @-6 says, "(an shall not live by bread alone# but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the )ord." So make a decision that you will hold tightly to God's word for you. #hat is a decision you will never regret:

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------------Chapter 3-----------3

WHY YOU DON'T NEED A " LAN !"

)et's go back, one more time, to Peter, sitting in that boat on the Sea of Galilee. 'e looks u! and sees 2esus walking toward him, coming right over the to! of the water. ")ord," he says, "if it's You, let me get out of the boat and walk to You." %nd 2esus re!lies sim!ly, "/ome." What did Peter do 'e immediately climbed out of the boat and started walking on the water, heading towards 2esus. %dmittedly, he didn't get very far. #he "ible tells us that this event took !lace on a very windy night, and that it was the wind and the waves that took Peter's attention away from his )ord and caused him to begin to sink. "ut again, what ended u! as a rather s!ectacular failure started out to be a s!ectacular trium!h of faith. ,or a while, Peter was dancing over those waves like there was nothing to it.

Holding to the Word of the Lord & think we have to admire Peter for having the faith and the courage to get out of the boat in the first !lace. %nd & also think we should admire him for the s!eed with which he followed his )ord's command to "come." Peter didn't s!end a moment trying to !ut together an alternative !lan. 'e didn't say, "0r...okay, )ord, &'ll be right there. "ut $ust in case it doesn't work, let me look around here and see if & can find a flotation device." 'e didn't even turn to the other disci!les and say, "(kay, guys, &'m going to get out of this boat and try to walk on the water. "ut if it doesn't work, & want you all to be ready to haul me back in here." *o...Peter $ust got out of that boat and started moving across the water. &'m afraid that far too many !eo!le today are only half1hearted in their obedience to the word of God. #hey say, "(kay, )ord, & hear you, and &'m willing to follow. "ut $ust the same, & think &'d better have a cou!le of alternatives in mind, in the event that what You have !lanned for me doesn't work out." Such thinking shows a com!lete lack of

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When Logic and Faith Collide understanding of the !ower and faithfulness of God. &t can only lead to trouble. ,or e+am!le, consider what ha!!ened between %braham and Sarah. Sarah thought that a "Plan "" was necessary to fulfill God's !romise to her husband. #he "ible doesn't give us a word1for1word descri!tion of her conversation with %braham, but &'m sure it went something like this")ook, %braham...we both know that God has !romised to make you the father of many nations. "ut we also know that &'m well !ast the time when & can have a baby. "ut 'agar, my hand1maiden...now there's a woman who is still in the !rime of life. She could be the one to have your baby. & really think you should think seriously about that." *ow %braham, like millions of other husbands before and since his day, was willing to do $ust about anything his wife wanted him to do...so he went in and sle!t with 'agar, the result being that she became !regnant, and gave birth to a son whom she named &shmael. *ow, God's !romise was to %braham and Sarah. &t was not necessary to hel! God out. #here was no

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Holding to the Word of the Lord need to !ut a Plan " into !lace, and the whole thing backfired terribly. ,irst of all, the situation led to strife between Sarah and 'agar3and then between &shmael and &saac. %nd that strife has continued for centuries. ,or it was through &saac that the 2ewish race descended, and through &shmael that the %rab nation was born. /ertainly, it was Sarah's ?and %braham'sA rashness in believing that they had to hel! God out by devising a Plan " that has led to centuries of trouble. You may remember another time when someone thought there was a need for a Plan "3 and it resulted in a whole bunch of trouble. #hat someone was %aron, the brother of .oses. &'m sure you remember the story. .oses had gone u! on the mountain to receive instruction from the )ord3 including the #en /ommandments. &n his absence, the !eo!le of &srael grew im!atient. #hey didn't know if .oses was coming back. #hey were tired of following after an "invisible" God. #hey wanted something they could see, and touch. %nd so %aron gathered u! all the gold from the !eo!le, melted it down, fashioned it into the sha!e of a calf, and !resented it to them as the God who

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When Logic and Faith Collide had brought them out of 0gy!t. Such blas!hemy: #hey had seen the !lagues which God had brought u!on the nation of 0gy!t. #hey had seen 'im !art the 4ed Sea so they could !ass through it, and then bring the waves crashing down on the heads of the 0gy!tians who tried to !ursue them. #hey had seen the !illar of fire by night and the cloud of smoke by day, leading them the way to the Promised )and, but still, they were ready to trade the glory of the living God for a statue of a cow: #alk about trading a glorious Plan % for a !athetic Plan ". %nd, of course, the results were disastrous. #here is sim!ly no need, in the world of faith, to have Plan " in your back !ocket, because Plan % always works. #he most im!ortant thing is to s!end enough time in !rayer and meditation so that you have a clear understanding of Plan %. %gain, & admit that it isn't always easy to follow God's !lan for your life. #here will be times when, from a natural !ers!ective, it may be downright scary. "ut you've got to kee! your eyes focused on 2esus instead of on the wind and the waves. ,or e+am!le one year & held a big convention in

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Holding to the Word of the Lord .innea!olis, .innesota. %t the beginning & really worried, because we had so many big1name s!eakers coming in, that our e+!enses were going to run more than H7<<,<<< for the week. &f that sounds like a lot of money to you, well it sounds like a lot of money to me, too. %nd in my soul, & ke!t dealing with the fear- "What if nobody comes What are we going to do if we can't !ay our bills What if &'m being !resum!tuous or foolish " *ow, & knew in my s!irit that & was doing e+actly what God had told me to do. So dee! down inside of me, & knew that there wouldn't be any !roblem bringing in enough money to !ay the bills and bless the ministries of the s!eakers who had been asked to !artici!ate in the convention. "ut & really had to cling to the word of the )ord in that regard, because the soul and the flesh were fighting against my faith. 0very time & go somewhere to !reach a series of messages, or conduct a seminar or a convention, my natural mind always says to me, "What if nobody comes " %nd then, when things start, and the !eo!le come, & always look around and think, "Wow: 2ust look at all these !eo!le: #hey really came:" #hat's something & have to deal with on a continual basis.

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When Logic and Faith Collide What you have to do in situations like this is that you have to get hold of yourself. Shake yourself a little bit. 4emind yourself that you're doing what God has asked you to do, and that God is so !owerful that 'e s!oke this entire universe into e+istence: You $ust can't go wrong when you're following 'im. & should also add that the .innea!olis convention was very successful3a blessing in every way to all of those who were !art of it. *ow, one of the most common reasons why !eo!le give u! on Plan % and start casting about for Plans " and / is that they are too im!atient. #hey want to follow God's !lan, but they want it to unfold >uickly, immediately3they want it to be what & call a "microwave miracle." #hey'll say, "Well, &'ve tried to follow the )ord's !lan for my life for a week now and it doesn't seem to be working out, so & think &'ll try something else." &'m sure that this ty!e of thinking is a result of the world we live in. We have instant coffee. &nstant !otatoes. &nstant rice. .icrowave ovens can cook in 7G minutes what used to take three or four hours. Fuicker. ,aster. &mmediate gratification. #hose are

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Holding to the Word of the Lord the bu;;words of modern %merica. "ut it doesn't work that way in the realm of the s!irit. Some things take time. #hey involve growth and !erseverance. #hey may involve holding to a !romise from God over a !eriod of months or years: Sarah was im!atient and so she sent %braham in to 'agar. %nd the result was nothing but trouble. %braham believed God's !romise for a long, long time before he saw it come true. What we all need to do is to get to the !oint where we can believe and walk in the word of the )ord no matter what we see around us. #alk to yourself if you have to- "Soul, God said this, and this is the way we are going to go." Your soul may answer you back, "Well, what about money What about security for your family What about...a hundred other things " &n the natural, these are all legitimate >uestions. "ut the word of the )ord is above all of that. God's ways are higher than man's ways. 'is thoughts are higher than man's thoughts. 'is !lans for us are better than the !lans we could devise for ourselves. ?See &saiah GG-E and 2eremiah 9E-77A So hold fast to God's Plan % for your life. Walk in it and become stable in it:

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When Logic and Faith Collide Patience is so im!ortant3not only in the realm of the s!irit, but in the natural world as well. We can see the results of !atience versus im!atience all around us. Some e+am!les &n the world of finance. (ne !erson saves and invests wisely and carefully and sees a steady growth in his net worth. #he other !erson is always looking for a big1money, get1rich1>uick scheme because he's im!atient. 'e's always on the verge of "making it big," but never really does. #hat is another e+am!le of "slow and steady wins the race." /onsider, too, >uick weight1loss diets. #here are some diets that can hel! !eo!le lose weight almost overnight. "ut there are a lot of discouraged !eo!le walking around who lost a lot of weight in a hurry, only to see it all come back $ust as >uickly. &t takes !atient, continuous dieting and e+ercise to kee! your body in sha!e. #here are no shortcuts. Patience and !erseverance are the keys. &t takes !atience to be a good !arent. &t takes !atience to build a strong marriage. &t takes !atience to strengthen and develo! your

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Holding to the Word of the Lord mind. %nd it takes !atience to wait on the )ord. "ut it is well worth it. %s &saiah 5<-67 says"'ut those who wait on the )ord "%hall renew their strength# "They shall mount up with wings li$e eagles, "They shall run and not be weary, "They shall wal$ and not faint." #ry not to be im!atient. Bon't feel that if you are waiting on the )ord, you are wasting your time. You aren't. You are gaining strength and knowledge for the task ahead of you: *ow kee! in mind that !atience isn't the same as inertia. &'m not talking about sitting back for months and being inactive. #here is a time for !atiently sitting and listening to God, and there is a time for action. When 'e tells you to move, move: 'ere's another thing that !atience is not! &t is not sticking with the old ways of doing something when God is calling you to do something new. You see, some !eo!le have trouble kee!ing u! with what God is doing.

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When Logic and Faith Collide (ne day, if the )ord tarries, the things that are occurring in the world right now will come to a divine conclusion. Something new will begin to ha!!en, and we all need to be in tune with that, whatever it is. We need to listen to God, to be led by 'is S!irit, so that we are always on the cutting edge 3always moving forward. God wants us to be !atient and to wait on 'im, but 'e doesn't want us to grow fat and com!lacent and la;y. 'is $ob is to lead. (ur $ob is to follow3and to hang on tenaciously to 'is word to us as we do. God said to me, "Go to the nations and !reach. Write books and & will sell them. Preach strong and & will draw the !eo!le. Pro!hesy and you will have the ability to minister to !reachers." God gave that word to me. %nd as long as & hold to it and follow it, it works. &f & ever hold to the o!eration of that word and let go of the foundation of it, & lose it. &n other words, if & ever start thinking that the books &'ve written are really the ultimate thing, then & will lose the word of the )ord that caused them to be born and be successful. & have to hold to the word and not what the word !roduced. & was in high school when the )ord first came to

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Holding to the Word of the Lord me and told me to write books and that 'e would sell them for me. Well...it's not !ossible to have a better literary agent than %lmighty God: %s long as & kee! writing, trying to get the word of the )ord out to !eo!le through the !rinted !age, & know that my books will kee! on selling. "elieve me when & tell you that & don't have a whole lot of time to devote to writing. "ut & work at it a little bit here and a little bit there, and it comes together $ust the way God told me it would. Some !eo!le get mad when you live like this. #hey say, "& don't understand Why does this work so well for you " %nd all & can say in re!ly is, "&'m $ust following God:" &t's really that sim!le. God said to write the books and 'e would get them into the hands of those who could be blessed, encouraged and instructed by them. & have been overseas, and had !eo!le walk u! to me and hand me a co!y of one of my books in a foreign language, where & didn't even know it had been translated. %nd, &'ll have to admit that there have been times when & thought, "*ow, wait a minute. Bid & sign a contract authori;ing this to be

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When Logic and Faith Collide done " %fter all, & want to make sure everything is being done !ro!erly, you know. "ut then & heard God's voice whis!ering to my s!irit- "& didn't say anything about a contract. & $ust told you to write and that & would get your books into the hands of those & wanted to read them." You see, for a brief moment & was losing sight of what was im!ortant3and that is that the word of God be read by as many !eo!le as !ossible and that 'e be glorified. %nd, by the grace of God, & have over a million books in !rint so far, in more than a do;en languages. Boes that sound like bragging Well, it's not. #he success of my books is no reflection on me !ersonally. &t is a reflection of what can ha!!en when you do what God tells you to do. Some of you who are reading this are facing challenges and transitions in your life. You may know beyond any doubt that God s!oke to you, revealing 'is !lan for your life. You have already gone through the time of wondering, "&s this really God " You know that it was God who s!oke to you. *ow is the time to hold to the word 'e gave you. Bon't waver or doubt, but let that word be

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Holding to the Word of the Lord manifested in your life. 4emember the faith of %braham. 0ven as he was !lacing &saac on the altar, he was holding tightly to the word God had given him. 'e knew that even if &saac's life were offered u! in sacrifice, God could bring the boy back from the dead in order to fulfill 'is word that "%braham will be the father of many nations." You may be going through a drastic change in your life. #hings aren't the way you thought they were going to be, and you don't see how they're going to change. &t's easy, when this ha!!ens, to become sad, angry and frustrated, and then to let go of God's word and run back for the comfort of yesterday and the way things used to be. Bon't do it: 'old on to God's word, and believe that 'e is able to raise your &saac from the dead. 'e can: 'e will: #here have been times when &saac was dead in my life, and the only thing & had to hang on to was my faith in what God had said to me. & could only say two words- "& believe." #here were times, though, when it would have been easier to say, "& >uit."

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When Logic and Faith Collide "ut & knew & couldn't >uit. & had to hang on and remind myself that God is always faithful. #here was nothing else to say or do. & couldn't talk about it. & couldn't do anything about it. & $ust had to believe that God's word was true and & would see, in due season, the fruit it !roduces. You can have great assurance in the knowledge that God will finish whatever work 'e has begun in you. 'e will finish it, if you will hold to your faith and be !ersuaded that 'e is able to !erform what 'e said 'e would do, able to fulfill every one of 'is !romises. God wants that for you today. 'old to it: &t works: God is not dead, but alive. 'e is all1mighty and not all1weak. & urge you right now to find once again the word of the )ord that 'e has !ut into your heart. Bon't look at your !resent circumstances, but find the word in your s!irit. 4ight now, begin to !ray that word. Stir it u!: Iee! it alive: Pray strong on that word: )et it live again: 'is !lans for your future are absolutely glorious: You can count on it:

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Holding to the Word of the Lord

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