Have you ever felt the weight of loss, only to realize it was a hidden blessing? Join us as we explore the profound lessons of divine subtraction, where what is taken away paves the way for immeasurable growth. In our latest installment of the 'I Love Math' series, we delve into the spiritual concept of subtraction, sharing stories from Paul and other scriptural figures to illustrate how God's loving removals from our lives can lead to a deeper sense of peace and fulfillment. We consider the transformative power of surrendering to God's will, embracing the idea that when we let go, we make room for the blessings He has in store.
This episode is not just a message; it's an invitation to gratitude and trust. We express our heartfelt thanks for the support that has uplifted our channel and share the excitement of future episodes that will continue to enrich your spiritual walk. As we anticipate the launch of a new website and reflect on our journey so far, we invite you to join us in celebrating the growth not only of our platform but of our collective faith. Together, let's discover how personal trials can evolve into powerful testaments of God's grace in our lives.
Have you ever felt the weight of loss, only to realize it was a hidden blessing? Join us as we explore the profound lessons of divine subtraction, where what is taken away paves the way for immeasurable growth. In our latest installment of the 'I Love Math' series, we delve into the spiritual concept of subtraction, sharing stories from Paul and other scriptural figures to illustrate how God's loving removals from our lives can lead to a deeper sense of peace and fulfillment. We consider the transformative power of surrendering to God's will, embracing the idea that when we let go, we make room for the blessings He has in store.
This episode is not just a message; it's an invitation to gratitude and trust. We express our heartfelt thanks for the support that has uplifted our channel and share the excitement of future episodes that will continue to enrich your spiritual walk. As we anticipate the launch of a new website and reflect on our journey so far, we invite you to join us in celebrating the growth not only of our platform but of our collective faith. Together, let's discover how personal trials can evolve into powerful testaments of God's grace in our lives.
Good day and thank you for listening to Guidance Light, the podcast channel that covers God's gospel devotionals and talks about the love of Jesus Christ. I'm your host, john. This is season one, episode six, subtraction. Now, before I dive in today's message, before we begin to praise God, I want to say how thankful I am because, through God's grace and will, this channel is reaching new heights. He has placed each and every one of you in a place of or time where you have come to listen to the words of God as it's written, and I am honored to be God's servant and deliver his words, for he meant them as a blessing for you. Blessed are you, lord, who sees me, who guides me and grants me the voice to praise his name. Let your Holy Spirit fill the divide that we feel on a daily basis. I open my mouth, lord, to share whatever meaning or message you have intended to say to those listening. May God's words lift, encourage and grant you the solace, aspiration or peace that you are needing. I pray for healing, for deliverance, for understanding, and that God works in you as he's always planned to do. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.
Jon:
Welcome back to episode six. This is the second episode in a new series that God has shown me. If you haven't heard episode five, I highly recommend it. It's there as a reference and we're going to be going over a couple things from that episode so that way you can fully understand what we're going to be talking about today, and I hope that you enjoy it and you are able to get something from it as we're hoping to reach the measures that God has in store for us. This series is called I Love Math, and he's taking us back to school, y'all. Someone say I graduated, but I still got a lot to learn. Praise be his name. All right, let's dive right into this Now.
Jon:
In the last episode we talked about division, the division that lives in our hearts, caused by sin and misalignment with God in body, mind and soul. God taught us that only he can bridge any and all divides in our heart, so long as we believe. But he's not done yet. He is faithful. See, today we speak about subtraction, and for that we're going to dive into Scripture and talk about several men that God has revealed to me through my journey of learning so far. See, I'm looking at the gentleman in the Scripture that we know as Paul, hob and Samuel.
Jon:
In the 2nd Corinthians, chapter 12, verse 13, paul comes in and says when I came to Troas to preach the gospel of Christ, even though the Lord had opened the door for me, I had no rest in my spirit because I didn't find my brother Titus. Instead, I said goodbye to them and left for Macedonia. Now we're going to talk a little bit about Paul here, because you might be asking what does it have to do with subtraction? See, in this verse, paul was feeling divided in his heart. He was feeling a form of division in his heart. He was being divided from the blessings that God was giving to him through the calling that he was being sent to go preach at Troas and because of the unrest that he had, god was taking that rest away from him. Because he could not align himself due to the divide that lived in his heart. He could not find himself enough to be able to answer God's call, which made him say goodbye to him. He was worried about his friend and brother Titus, who he had sent to the church at Corinth, which we spoke about in one of the other episodes, over the division that lived within that church and the sin that was rooting itself in there. He was worried about Titus and due to that worry, god was taking away his rest and the peace that only God provides.
Jon:
See, god works through us in ways that sometimes we don't understand. When we feel surrounded by our enemies and we don't know what to do, god starts to do some math. Someone tell a friend or a colleague or someone that God is working on adding it up for me. He knows we feel divided sometimes. He knows when we feel overwhelmed, but God's grace is still there, even when you don't see it. See, god looks for our surrender.
Jon:
As Christians, we live in a constant life of surrender to our God. It's when you surrender that God begins to move in us. He begins to move things around, taking away all that doesn't belong, and sometimes it hurts. God knows that, but you have to remember that God sees our needs. He sees the intent that we have and he knows us by name. God provides for us, even when he's taking things away that we think we needed. God is our maker. He stitched us together in our mother's rooms. Who else would know what we need better than he does?
Jon:
If he takes something away from you, it's because you didn't need it in the first place. How many of us have wanted something so bad that wasn't readily available and we fight for it and we fight and fight and we get these things that we get to start enjoying in our daily lives. You can come to me and say I work hard every single day to be able to drive this beautiful car or have this gorgeous home, and that you put everything together through your own sweat and tears, but in the process, did you turn your back on Jesus to get it? Throughout it all, through the hard work, through the sweat, through the blood and tears that you spent to be able to obtain what you wanted, did you feel the support of God and the peace that only he brings? Did you feel that peace, the peace of the Lord, in all you have gained in this material world? Because if you didn't, you'd be surprised. You may have never needed it in the first place.
Jon:
See if God is about to add something into your lives. Now again, I'm bringing you guys back to school here. We're talking about math. There's a lot of addition, subtractions, multiplication, division. We got to pay attention to these things because God is working His way in your life and if he's about to add something into your life. He's about to multiply. You won't need to fight because he's already fought, he's already won. He holds the victory in His hands and His love for you will bring you all you need. God is the deliverer. He will provide to you in your time of need.
Jon:
Now let's talk about hope. Let's look in His way, and I know I covered hope in episode 4 in the title called Gratitude and Subservience. I'll tell you that I'm so new to this that I actually mispronounced his name that whole episode. I might be still doing it. I know that in that episode it was the first time that it happened, but I know it won't be the last. But so long as you are getting the message that God is putting in your mind, praise be his name.
Jon:
Anyways, hob in the Bible was a development that God allowed him to pass through immense trials and tribulations in order to test his faith to God. He allowed the devil to take things away. Here we go we're subtracting things right now. He allowed the devil to take away things from him to test him. In the Bible, in Hob, chapter 1, verse 1, it says that he was a man of complete integrity who feared God and turned away from evil. This wasn't a man that was going around partying and sinning. He was faithful to God and in verse 2, it says he had seven sons and three daughters. His estate included 7,000 sheep and goats, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen, 500 female donkeys and a very large number of servants. God knew how blessed Hob was. The Bible says that he was the greatest man of the east and God allowed Satan to take away everything he had from him to test Hob's faithfulness. And although temptation rose, although pain was everywhere that Hob turned to, he never turned his eyes away from the grace of God. And God, in all his glory, restored all that he had in chapter 42, verse 10. After Hob had prayed for his friends, the Lord restored his fortunes and doubled his previous possessions.
Jon:
See, when God takes things away from your life, it's not always a bad thing. Sometimes he needs to take away the pain, sometimes he needs to take away the sorrow, and he does this by taking away what's causing it, like a festering wound. God removes the source of the infection and he heals the sick. He grants sight to the blind and he makes the lame walk. Our God is a healer. Give him your problems and let him start to remove the sin, let him take away burdens, give it to him and he will subtract all that is wrong with the world and fill it with goodness. Hey men, hey men, say after me I got God's goodness in me. Yes, yes, you do. There's another man who had God's goodness in him and his name was Samuel.
Jon:
See, samuel in the Bible was born to a lady named Hannah, who had a hard time conceiving. She prayed and prayed, to the point of being misunderstood by the priest Eli for being drunk in the church. And when confronted, she said no, I'm not drunk, I have a broken heart and I'm pouring out my heart to the Lord. And in the first Samuel, chapter one, verse 17, eli said Go in peace and may the God of Israel answer your request. You've made him. Hannah vowed that if God would answer her prayers, she would take her son and dedicate him to the Lord where he would stay permanently. And God heard her prayers soon after Samuel was born. And in verse 27, it says I prayed for this boy. Now this is Hannah talking. Hannah was speaking. This verse here it says I prayed for this boy and since the Lord gave me what I asked him for now, for, I now give the boy to the Lord for as long as he lives.
Jon:
God listens people. God hears and delivers. When Samuel was presented to the Lord and the Lord took Hannah's firstborn, god is just and it's important to understand that, because he didn't take Samuel away from her to spite her or to teach her a lesson, but to bless Samuel, to bring forth Saul and King David, to be anointed by God, to usher in a future for Israel. See, god works in us, for us and through us. He takes away so that he can give what is fruitful and what will grow, and we're going to go into much more of what God has in store for us as we continue to learn. See, when God gives, he also sometimes takes things away. We don't know what God's plan for us is. We know his will reigns in heaven and on earth and we have to surrender it. We have to take away our pride, our stubbornness, and surrender it by giving it to the Lord, trusting in God's plan and in the Bible.
Jon:
The book of Isaiah, chapter 14, verse 24, says the Lord of hosts has sworn, saying Surely, just as I have intended, so it has happened, and just as I have planned, so it will stand. God has a plan and not a devil, nor floods, nor not a sickness or a sea shall stand in the way of his plan. He is the God of gods and the king of kings. His will shall be done on earth as it is in heaven. If he deemed something to be bad and take something away, it's because it didn't belong there in the first place. He's got something better for you. You just have to believe, you have to trust in the Lord to know that his plan is better than your plan. His will will guide you further than your will can ever take you. God has a plan for you, for me and for everyone. See, even Samuel experienced God removing things from his life and a kingdom that was divided. God did some man math in this man's life, I'm saying God took him to school.
Jon:
When the Israelites wanted a king, god showed Samuel Saul. Was Saul perfect? No, far from it. But Saul had to come into the picture so that David would stand against Goliath. God took away David's life and replaced it and added it and multiplied it and shaped David into a king, and a king that, with God's will, added together all the tribes of Israel and created the city of Jerusalem.
Jon:
If you wonder why God takes things away. Fall to your knees and praise the Lord, as hope did when he had nothing left. Trust in the Lord, as Hannah and Samuel did, and believe in the words that God has stated through Isaiah that his plans will not falter. God will show you why in his time. And just like you can't force the sun to rise, you cannot tempt God to work at your pace. His will and his time will continue to work in his favor forever and ever, and blessed and worthy is your name.
Jon:
God. In the first of Samuel, chapter 12, verses 15 through 16, if you disobey the Lord and rebel against this command, the Lord's hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors. Now, therefore, present yourself and see this great thing that the Lord will do before your eyes. God wants us to come to him. He wants us to teach us and nurture us. He planted a seed of goodness in you and he wants to water that. Tend to that seed that he's put in you. Like a gardener that pulls weeds and spruces the leaves, so does God in you.
Jon:
Sometimes, losing things that we like hurts. Surrendering what we have or who we are makes us question him, and I say have faith, my brothers and sisters, for God knows what he is doing. God's plan was written for you before you were made, and he knows what you truly need in your life. Now I want to ask you guys all a question, maybe to wake you some of you up that are falling asleep on my show how many of you have ever been in a position of leadership or have children, or ever been put in a position where you are showing someone something and something that you might even know intimately or know really well, or an expert in your field, and you come up to somebody to show them with a willing heart, full of passion and energy and happiness, that you're gonna pass on what you know, or you're gonna show, or you're gonna be there for someone to support them, and they turn around and say I already know what I'm doing, I don't need your help. How would that make you feel?
Jon:
See, we constantly do that to our God. We may not say it, we may not try to show it, but we act on it all the time. We don't let God manifest himself in our lives because we are afraid of him to take away the things that we like, the things that we have grown to want, need and fight for, even though it was never part of his plan. When we surrender and we surrender all, we're giving it to God. We say God, take my life, take the example of my life, and you see everything that's in it. For God, you know me, you know what's in my heart, you know what I have. But, god, in this moment I'm giving it to you, I'm giving it all to you. You can have it.
Jon:
See, in the Bible, king David is someone who is quoted throughout scripture for so many things. God had blessed this man beyond belief. Most of the books of song, or the book of song, was part of King David's reign and rule. But even King David fell to sin and fell away from the grace of God. And when he fell away and God punished him for his consequence and gave him the consequences that he earned, king David prayed and said God, take away everything that I have, take away everything, but please don't leave me. That's powerful guys. We're talking about someone who brought together the nation of Israel, who forged the city of Jerusalem, who the Jews, till this very day, wear the symbol on their clothing. It's a symbol of their religion the star of David.
Jon:
If a man that has been anointed to the point of King David can fall to sin and have things removed from his life, so can we see? We need to trust in God, because God is just and his plan for us is always better for us than what we can ever imagine. Let him subtract what doesn't belong and in time you will come to realize that you never needed it all along. And for those of you who are listening today and you come to yourselves in the mirror or in your car or in the comfort of your home, wherever you are, and you say God, I've already lost so much. What else do you have to take from me? God, I don't have much more. You can still surrender. You're all. God doesn't need the material things. He needs you. He needs your heart to follow Him. And if you feel unworthy, if you say God, why would you want me? I'm dirty, I'm full of sin, I'm burdened with the sins of my past.
Jon:
God redeems. He can take what was designed for the bad and the evil and turn it into something good. He can turn you into a beacon, into a light for others. You just have to give in, you have to surrender If you're holding on to what's happened in the past. I say to you let go of your pride, let go of your stubbornness. God doesn't need that. He's sure to take that away and give you something better. I invite you to pray with me.
Jon:
If you've never accepted Jesus into your heart and you don't know what it's like to feel purpose, or perhaps you once felt it and you're looking to come back to Him, he is faithful and he is there for you and he's going to carve away that which does not fit His will. He will tend to your garden. He will tend to the seed that he has put in you all along. Give in to Him and he will deliver you. He will heal you. So I pray for you today. I pray and I pray that you pray alongside me.
Jon:
God, I know that I'm a sinner. I know that I have faults that make me feel unworthy of you. God, take me as I am and come into my heart. Fill my void with your love, fill my heart with your compassion and peace, so that I may serve you as Samuel once did. I acknowledge that you sent your Son to earth to live and die for me, for the sins that I have committed, and to cleanse me of my sins. Thank you, god, for your faithful beyond what I am worthy of, and in your word you say that you give your love and redemption freely. Thank you, god, for being there for me through it all. I accept you as my Lord and Savior.
Jon:
In Jesus' name, I pray, and if you're still here praying with me, I want to pray over all those who didn't quite feel the confidence to pray. I pray for your healing. I pray for your deliverance. I pray that God takes you from where you are and puts you somewhere that you belong, somewhere that you belong to serve Him, so that you find that confidence that you need, so that you find the will that God has in your life and that you are able to step up and act on it. God is not done with you and you are worthy to be His servants. God loves you and I pray for you to find your way to take these words and to find the light that God is shining in your direction. If you're lost, god loves you. Take the step and accept Him. Thank you, god, for all that you do. In Jesus' name, I pray, amen.
Jon:
Thank you so much for being a part of this channel and, if you said the prayer of God's acceptance and you accepted Jesus into your heart. I want to say welcome to God's family. See, we are all together in this crazy world and we are all dealing with our own problems and our own struggles each and every day, and we are trusting in God to deliver us as he will deliver you. He has promised us eternal salvation in Him, so thank you so much for being a part of this channel. I ask that you help me to spread the word of this channel to others who may need to hear it or who haven't quite accepted God. See, in His name, in the name of Jesus, who is a Prince of Peace, no fear, anxiety, depression or negativity may prevail. I pray for all of you and I pray that you continue to go down this path and continue to learn about God alongside me. I'm no expert, but I have a love for God that is filling me whole and I pray that you feel the same thing. Thank you so much for supporting me and following the channel. I pray for you and for your loved ones.
Jon:
Our channel is reaching new heights and it's all thanks to you. We're going to continue to air episodes and continue to talk about the Word of God and I pray that you continue to support us each and every single episode. Thank you so much. Please feel free to leave a review on our channel. It means the world to us and a new website is coming soon. Thank you so much for everything you guys are doing. This is John from Guide and Slate signing out. God bless you and keep you.