God’S Mysterious Ways Revealed: Experiencing Abundant Life in Jesus Christ

Contents

Introduction

Chapter One

The Importance of Understanding

God’s Ways

Chapter Two

The Process of God’s Saving Grace

I. How God Created Us.

II. How God Saves Us.

Chapter Three

The Role of Types in the Scriptures.

I. Understanding Typology

II. Understanding the Essential Characteristics

of a Type.

III. Understanding the Importance of

Typology in Preaching.

Chapter Four

New Birth in Christ

I. Understanding the Various Types in

1 Samuel Chapters 1-7

II. Israel’s Spiritual Condition prior to the

Birth of Samuel

III. Understanding Elkanah’s Religious Heritage and Family Situation

IV. Comprehending the Need For Delay to

Produce Brokenness:

V. New Birth in Christ – The Answer to

Desperate Prayer

VI. The Weaning of Samuel

Chapter Five

Learning God’s Ways as a New Believer

I. The Joy of Growing Up in Christ as a

New Believer

II. Reasons and Occasions for

Rejoicing in the Lord

III. Hannah’s Rejoicing in the Personal Revelation of God’s Character

Chapter Six

Self-centered Worship is Unacceptable

I. God’s Way is to Consume the Fat – Therefore, Self-centered Worship is Unacceptable to God

II. Eli’s Fleshly Rebuke For the Sins of His Sons

III. God’s Pronouncement of Judgment on

Eli’s House

IV. What’s All the Kicking About?

V. The Acceptable Sacrifice

Chapter Seven

Understanding That God Keeps

His Promises

I. The Promise of a Faithful Priest

II. The Flesh Has an Enemy

III. The Signs Point to a Fulfilled Promise

IV. Christ The Faithful Priest – He Fulfills

God’s Promise

V. As the Faithful Priest, He Receives an Established House

VI. The Flesh Longs to Experience

Spiritual Life – But Can’t!

Chapter Eight

The Importance of Hearing God’s Voice

I. The Scarcity of God’s Word

II. No Vision Producing Revelation of God

III. The Limitations of the Flesh

IV. Coming To Know The Voice of The Lord

V. Your Servant Hears

VI. Hearing Ears Bear Witness

VII. What God Starts – He Completes

VIII. God’s Judgment on Eli’s House

IX. The Word of the Lord Endures Forever

Chapter Nine

The Transforming Power of God’s Word

I. The Revelation of God

II. God’s Word Permeates All Israel

III. Spiritual Warfare – The Inevitable Battle

IV. Misplaced Trust Ends in The

Defeat of The Believer

V. God’s Method of Deliverance – Suffering

and Defeat

Chapter Ten

The Authority of God’s Word over the

Sin Nature

I. God’s Path to Freedom

II. Weeping for the Wrong Thing

III. God’s Word Is Taken Captive – Hope Dispelled

IV. God’s Promise Is Fulfilled

V. The Time of Testing Has An End

Chapter Eleven

The Judgment of God’s Word

I. God’s Presence in Creation.

II. The Special Revelation of God.

III. The Personification of General and

Special Revelation

IV. The WORD – God’s Basis For Judgment

V. The WORD – Ultimately Triumphant

VI. The Reason For God’s Judgment

VII. God’s Judgments Will Ultimately

Accomplish God’s Purpose

Chapter Twelve

The Restorative Power of God’s Word

I. Consecration – Necessary to Properly Care for the Ark of His Presence

II. The Necessary Preparation of the Heart

Chapter Thirteen

The Necessity of Making Christ Preeminent

I. Christ – The Rightful Lord of Your Life

II. Fear – A Benefit or A Curse?

III. Divine Intercession

Chapter Fourteen

Understanding the Victorious Life of Christ

I. Samuel Begins To Offer Up An

Acceptable Sacrifice

II. Christ Is The Faithful High Priest of Intercession

III. Know That The Enemy Will Attack

IV. But God Thundered Against the

Enemy – Israel is Victorious and Strongholds are

Restored to Israel

V. The Necessity of A New Perspective

VI. Samuel Judges Israel in Circuit Year by Year

Abbreviations:

Introduction

The testimony of Katie Souza is just one of literally millions of individuals who have experienced the dealings of God in order to set them free from a destructive self-centered lifestyle. Here is her account of God’s dealing in her life as told to Robert Hull of the 700 Club.

Katie Souza: God’s Love Found in Lockdown

By Robert Hull

The 700 Club

http://www.expectedendministries.com

CBN.com – Katie Souza wanted the good life.

I had all these pre-conceived ideas about what the good life was, Katie Souza tells The 700 Club. I thought if I was working in the entertainment industry that that’s the good life. If I’ve got money, that’s the good life. If I’m famous, that’s the good life.

Katie pursued her dreams. She says, I loved radio, because I loved music so much. I thought radio would be really fun, so I got into radio when I was really young. Like 17 years old, I was on the air. I got a job at CBS television, started doing camera work there and doing audio. I was having a lot of fun.  

Acting and modeling opportunities followed, but drug use that began in her teens was a full-fledged addiction that threatened everything.

I was doing all these great things on one hand, she recalls. I was still empty and horrible even though I had this great thing happening to me. I didn’t even know why I was filling myself up with drugs and doing all these things to try to make myself feel satisfied.

Katie was chosen for a role with Universal Studios, but just before her callback, she went on a drug binge.

I go into this meeting wasted. This guy at Universal looks at me and says, ‘You look like a heroin addict. Get out of my office right now.’ That was like my last blow.  I had gone through all these opportunities, and I’d blown them all. So, I fell face first into crime, and I became a full-time seller. I was already selling to everybody, and then I started cooking meth and collecting.

She was arrested 12 times in one year for multiple felonies. Finally, she was arrested on federal charges for conspiracy, manufacturing narcotics and weapons violations. She was sentenced to 13 years in prison.

I’m fighting with the cops. I attacked an officer. I’m getting shook down every day in the facility, because I am just starting up problems with all the officers and other inmates there, she explains. I got thrown in the hole over and over and over again while I’m there.

Finally after a year of violent behavior behind bars, Katie reached her breaking point.

"I had been taken to this lockdown cell that wasn’t like a regular lockdown cell. You didn’t get a mattress. It’s freezing cold. It’s covered with urine, vomit and feces. Right then, I got a revelation: ‘This is God’s way of dealing with you. It took this level of lockdown to get you to break. I’m the only one that can save you out of this.’

I remember slumping back against that cold cement wall, thinking, ‘I can’t do this anymore.’ I had been fighting everybody out on the streets, and now I’m fighting everybody inside. I didn’t even realize I was fighting God Himself. Right then, the Lord spoke to me. ‘I want you to surrender to your captivity, because this is My plan and it’s perfect.’

Katie prayed to become a Christian.  She read the Bible and shared what she was learning with her fellow inmates.

The only book in the whole place was the Bible. I remember picking it up, reading through it and I just thought that this is the coolest thing I’ve ever read in my life. This is amazing. I would go from the front to the back over and over again. As I did that, the Holy Spirit began to point out these Scriptures about these people called the ancient Israelites who went to prison. I was going, ‘Wow, this is my story. It’s the story of every con I’d ever known. I started getting excited about it, and I started teaching it to everyone that I could teach it to.

Her tough girl attitude and reputation began to change.

The cops called our unit the ‘God Pod,’ because everybody’s worshipping God. We’re baptizing people in the shower. We’re praying. There’s fellowship going, and this amazing breakout of the presence of God is happening right in the middle of this captivity.

After serving five years of her thirteen-year sentence, Katie won her appeal and was released early. She’s free now, and her view of the good life has changed dramatically.

The good life is having your purpose and having your relationship with God, Katie declares. There’s been so many amazing things that have happened to me since I got out of prison. I quickly discovered that I didn’t want to do drugs anymore. I’m so filled up with this relationship with God that I had no desire to do drugs.

Katie wrote a book about the lessons she learned from the Israelites’ time in captivity and how God can use prison time to prepare people for their purpose.

He has a bigger plan an amazing plan where He wants to use captivity to totally give us our dreams, to give us our future. He loves us so much that He’s got a plan for it, and it’s way bigger than we thought it would be.

The opportunity for meaningful spiritual growth comes to us all in much the same way. God’s dealing in our life is never intended to defeat us, but rather to save us and help us gain a heavenly and eternal perspective.

Ephesians 2:2-8 – You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God. All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else. But God is so rich in mercy, and he loved us so much, that even though we were dead because of our sins, he gave us life when he raised Christ from the dead. (It is only by God’s grace that you have been saved!) For he raised us from the dead along with Christ and seated us with him in the heavenly realms because we are united with Christ Jesus. So God can point to us in all future ages as examples of the incredible wealth of his grace and kindness toward us, as shown in all he has done for us who are united with Christ Jesus. God saved you by his grace when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. (NLT)

As believers, we have been raised up and seated with Christ in heavenly places. It is a position and placement of intimacy and authority at the Father’s right hand. So, God expects us to learn what it means to see life and circumstances from this lofty perspective.

Experiencing God’s divine intervention in his life, King David was graced to receive enough spiritual insight so he could interpret the experiences of his life from God’s perspective.

Psa. 119:67, 71-72 – "Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I obey your word. It was good for me to be afflicted so that I might learn your decrees. The law from your mouth is more precious to me than thousands of pieces of silver and gold." (NIV)

What an amazingly powerful scripture! David is telling us that before he was afflicted by God and the circumstances of life pressed against him, he didn’t value God’s word like he should; but now having been humbled by God’s discipline and chastisement, God’s word is more precious than all the wealth this world could ever offer.

Before God steps into our life to correct it, we walk a path that leads to destruction. In fact, until we experience the circumcision of our hearts, we will continually avoid God’s right path by looking for the exits and taking various detours. Like sheep, we wander off and go astray.

If a person has been a disciple of Christ for any length of time and has prayerfully desired to be conformed into Christ’s glorious image, then, like King David of old, that person has experienced the discipline of God. In fact, if we haven’t experienced God’s disciplinary action in our lives, we are considered illegitimate children, and not true sons.

Hebrews 12:7-11 – Endure hardship as discipline; God is treating you as sons. For what son is not disciplined by his father? If you are not disciplined (and everyone undergoes discipline), then you are illegitimate children and not true sons. Moreover, we have all had human fathers who disciplined us and we respected them for it. How much more should we submit to the Father of our spirits and live! Our fathers disciplined us for a little while as they thought best; but God disciplines us for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it. (NIV)

I don’t know of anyone who initially relishes chastisement or enjoys correction. However, the man or woman who desires to draw closer to God learns to embrace and accept it.

Among the 3,000 or so proverbs written by Solomon he tells us that a wise man accepts correction and reproof because he knows it’s the way of life. Only a fool sloughs off and puts aside disciplinary action and resists correction. Wise people grasp the significance and purpose of affliction, while fools simply gripe and complain.

The wise person understands that affliction is a positive confirmation of our heavenly Father’s care and concern for our ultimate well-being. God’s divine intervention in our lives is simply the Father’s heart seeking our highest good, which is conformity to the image of Christ!

Understanding God’s ways enables us to cooperate with our heavenly Father’s activity in our lives. Instead of resisting His correction, we learn to quickly embrace His loving discipline, in order to share the very nature of Christ, and become pleasing to the Father.

The fact that God has graciously hidden New Testament truths under the blanket of Old Testament types simply allows us to experience, with wondrous awe, the majesty of His saving purpose in Christ.

My prayer is that this book will stimulate and encourage you in your personal search to understand God’s high and holy ways, enabling you to cooperate with God as He speaks His living transforming Word into your heart conforming you to the image of His Son.

Chapter One

The Importance of Understanding

God’s Ways

Just as when Jesus came into this world in a manner that was not anticipated nor welcomed by the religious establishment, in like manner his death demonstrated that God does not deal with the problem of sin in a manner fallen sinners could have predicted.

Through the prophets, we see the revelation of God’s will and purpose unfolding in an incredibly unpredictable fashion. In fact, everything about God’s redemptive plan from creation to consummation defies the laws of human logic and reason.

Isaiah 55:8-9 – "‘My thoughts are completely different from yours,’ says the Lord. ‘And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine. For just as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.’" (NLT)

Deut. 10:12 – "And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require from you, but to fear the Lord your God, to walk in all His ways and love Him, and to serve the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul." (NASB)

God gave a wonderful promise to Abraham:

Genesis 15:4-5 – Then the Lord said to him, ‘No, your servant will not be your heir, for you will have a son of your own to inherit everything I am giving you.’ Then the Lord brought Abram outside beneath the night sky and told him, ‘Look up into the heavens and count the stars if you can. Your descendants will be like that—too many to count!’ (NLT)

But because Abraham and Sarah didn’t understand God’s ways, they couldn’t comprehend why God would make them wait for another 15 years until their bodies were completely incapable of producing children.

Only then, by his resurrection power, did God restore their bodies ability to produce a child and give them Isaac.

However, prior to God’s appointed time, Sarah rationalized that God must want Abraham to have a child by Hagar, Sarah’s handmaid; and the fact that Abraham listened to Sarah’s human reasoning, resulted in the age-old conflict between the descendents of Ishmael (Arabs) and the descendents of Isaac (Jews).

Likewise, our lack of understanding concerning God’s ways can also bring devastating consequences into our lives.

In faithfulness, God repeatedly spoke to the spiritual leaders of Israel giving them adequate warning concerning the consequences of failing to obey His law word.

Deut. 30:15-20 – Look, today I offer you life and success, death and destruction. I command you today to love the Lord your God, to do what he wants you to do, and to keep his commands, his rules, and his laws. Then you will live and grow in number, and the Lord your God will bless you in the land you are entering to take as your own. But if you turn away from the Lord and do not obey him, if you are led to bow and serve other gods, I tell you today that you will surely be destroyed. And you will not live long in the land you are crossing the Jordan River to enter and take as your own. Today I ask heaven and earth to be witnesses. I am offering you life or death, blessings or curses. Now, choose life! Then you and your children may live. To choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey him, and stay close to him. He is your life, and he will let you live many years in the land, the land he promised to give your ancestors Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. (NCV)

Staying close to God and coming to know Him was the path to experiencing the blessings of God. From the time of this warning from Moses, the Old Testament prophets linked the negative consequences coming upon Israel to their lack of knowing God and understanding His ways.

The prophets of the Old Testament had simply to observe the consequences of Israel’s sinful behavior, to understand that ignoring God’s word, as well as the revelation of His character and nature, would automatically put the nation of Israel at risk of God’s judgment.

Hosea 4:6 – My people are being destroyed because they don’t know me. Since you priests refuse to know me, I refuse to recognize you as my priests. Since you have forgotten the laws of your God, I will forget to bless your children. (NLT)

Isaiah 5:13 – Therefore my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge: and their honorable men are famished, and their multitude dried up with thirst. (KJV)

Even in the New Testament, the apostle Paul clearly states in his letters to the Roman Christians and the believers at Ephesus that spiritual captivity and bondage to sin are the realities of not knowing Christ. It is in our coming to know Jesus Christ better that freedom is experienced.

Romans 10:1-3 – Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. (NLT)

Eph. 4:17-24 – "Now this I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds. They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to