Our faithful contributor Sharon, who loves to share the word of God is back to praise the LORD through the sharing of His Word. Unfortunately, she can no longer share through her voice on the TGN Daily Podcast; but her strong desire to obey and be useful in the hands of the LORD continues through writing. Please join with TGN Daily in keeping our sister’s health in your prayers.
Below is her most recent topical teaching from the Word of God. She calls it an allegory/parable titled Question Land. May we be blessed and guided by the Holy Spirit through the reading of this month’s Friday Word.
Question Land is a peninsula surrounded by water on three sides. The first part of "Question" is QUEST - to seek or search.
Proverbs 25:2 states: It is the glory of God to conceal a matter,
But the glory (honor) of kings is to search out a matter.
Questioning is one of the ways we learn. A child is aware of this at a young age. Questions define parameters. In the Jewish culture a question is often answered by another question, it makes people think deeper. God is okay with questions, it shows we are interested in how He thinks.
There is a King over all the lands. His Name is Omnipresent, Omnipotent, Omnificent. This King gave His subjects free will to govern their own lands with certain guidelines and restrictions. He told each of them, "If your decisions prove to be faulty come to Me and I will help." Remember...
"as the heavens are higher than the earth so are My ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah 55:9
In Question Land there are many cities, towns, etc. We will explore a few. Each has its own issues to deal with.
We will look at the capital, Whyville first. The residents of Question Land would send delegates from each of the cities to the capital of Whyville once a year to consider how the coming year should be governed. There is usually some disagreement but they have always reached consensus as to how it is to be done. Question Land has always been a place of unity and camaraderie.
WHY(?) is pretty much an open ended question. Why is saying, "give me a reason; I need an answer to help me sort things out, to cope". Sometimes God answers and sometimes He says, "ask a different question and we can go forward". Some whys we will never know to our satisfaction in this life. I think of the nature of a young child to keep going with another "why" after each answer. Most questions connect in some way to "why". Some of the "whys" asked in the Bible:
But Peter said, “Ananias, why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and to keep back for yourself part of the proceeds of the land?" Acts 5:3
(Jesus speaking to the religious leaders) "Why do you not understand what I say? It is because you cannot bear to hear my word?" John 8:43
And (Jesus) said to (His disciples), “Why are you afraid, O you of little faith?” Then he rose and rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was a great calm. Matthew 8:26
To have lawsuits at all with one another is already a defeat for you. Why not rather suffer wrong? Why not rather be defrauded? 1 Corinthians 6:7
Each of these are sermons within themselves focusing on WHY.
Next city to look at is Where Knolls. Where is the first question asked in the Bible. When Adam and Eve disobeyed God's word. God asked Adam, "Where are you?" Genesis 3:9. Adam replied, "I was afraid and hid myself in the trees." Adam was never afraid of God before. Where connotes more than location; it implies state of being. God wanted Adam and Eve to realize the change in their relationship with Him. God still asks each of us today, "WHERE ARE YOU?" He wants us to assess our spiritual condition. Even born again Christians are asked, where are you; we're either slipping away or drawing closer?
Then we have the city of What Cove. What is an investigative word. God created us with an investigative or curious nature. [We ask questions like] "What would happen when I mix this with that," etc. Science is founded upon the answers to what. The Bible also asks "what?"
Mark 8:36 "For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and forfeit his soul?"
Not only does what deal with the affairs of this life but also eternity.
And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, Hebrews 9:27
Who Valley = "Who" was first asked by God to Adam when He said, "who told you that you were naked?" Genesis 3:11. Knowing WHO is crucial because it correctly establishes the credibility of the one speaking and how much credence we should give. One of the most important question and answer is what Jesus asked His disciples,“But who do you say that I am?” Matthew 16:13-16
How City - The creative nature given to us by our Creator wants to know how. Perhaps it is in the knowing we think we can have a controlling part. HOW, presumes all the components are available to make something happen. When the virgin Mary asked the angel Gabriel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?" Luke 1:34; God transcends the "how" because WITH GOD ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE (Matthew 19:26). How gives the idea of the mechanics of a thing or situation with certain laws built in. The only thing that can override one of God's established laws is one of His higher laws. For example the law of aerodynamics is superseded by God creating the bumble bee. How questions [found in the Word of God]:
How can a young man keep his way pure? Psalm 119:9
How can we who died to sin still live in it? Romans 6:2
how shall we escape if we neglect such a great salvation? Hebrews 2:3
He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, how will he not also with him graciously give us all things? Romans 8:32
WHEN has a present time for fulfillment. There is little we can do to speed up or slow down time. It is in our nature to expect instant gratification; even more so in today's world. Best gives way to just okay if we force the process and sometimes destruction. Tear open a cocoon before set time and there is death to what would have been a beautiful butterfly. It is common for us to want to know the future but knowing is not always best for us. We ask "when" will our difficulties be over - "when" will the Rapture take place? [Let's hear from scripture]
For the lips of an immoral woman drip honey,
And her mouth is smoother than oil;
Lest you ponder her path of life—Her ways are unstable; You do not know them. Proverbs 5:3,6
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him, And He shall direct your paths. Proverbs 3:5,6
But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, Galatians 4:4
But from there you will seek the Lord your God, and you will find Him if you seek Him with all your heart and with all your soul. Deuteronomy 4:29
And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart. Jeremiah 29:13
so that they should seek the Lord, in the hope that they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us; Acts 17:27
Let's consider the name of the water surrounding the peninsula [of] Question Land. The water is named IF. The word "if" is a two-way hinge on the door of opportunity. Swing one way there is good; swing the other way, there is bad. The residents of the land are influenced by the wind they breathe in. The east wind is beneficial. The sun rises from the east, giving light, life, hope and ability to accomplish. The west is where the sun sets and darkness takes dominance. Negative thoughts, emotions and actions are prevalent in the dark. It is in the west wind that whispers [of], "if this happens or if that happens it will be really bad for you and you will be destroyed";(all lies of course). Oh, "and the sun will not come up tomorrow" [another lie]. We are promised by the ONE Who controls the winds, waves, and storms that indeed the sun will come up tomorrow with all its goodness. Keep your focus on the East.
There are good and bad things to be found in the waters of Question Land. The residents are the deciding factor:
2 Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land."
Another "IF" is in...
Psalms 124:1 “If it had not been the Lord who was on our side,”
Let Israel now say—"
Lastly, we take note of...
Matthew 6:15 "But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Matthew 5:13 “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men."
The last delegation sent to the capital by the cities of Question Land to decide the future years' laws were not able to come to a consensus and decided that each city would be autonomous. There followed civil unrest and disharmony. The residents were so caught up in their bickering that the dark west wind had become stronger and invaded the land. There was an invasion of [opposition] who were resolved to steal, kill and destroy by any means possible until the land fundamentally changed to reflect their immoral and godless values (John 10:10).
We do not know the end of the story because we do not know if the original citizens [of Question Land] repented and petitioned the King for help.
The moral of this story [allegory/parable] is: Keep your heart with all diligence,For out of it spring the issues of life (Proverbs 4:23)
TGN Daily 