Sunday, July 21, 2024

Course Correction

 

I heard this phrase, "Course Correction."

A course correction involves changing where you INTEND to go.

If you’re “on course” then you’re heading in the direction you intend, the “right” direction.

 

The word course is used to describe a charted path to get somewhere, as in a journey. A course, as in a course of study, is a schooling plan intended to bring you to a certain place—as in a career. Whatever the course or path your life is on, school or not, a course is a plan—a path to bring you to a desired destination.

 

If you get “off course” then you get off the path that will lead to the intended destination.

 

THE COURSE IS THE PATH TO GET THERE.

BUT WHO DECIDES THE DESTINATION?

God does. Only He knows the right destination for each person (or for a nation), as He is the Creator, so only He knows the correct path to get there—the way.

 

Without accepting His destination or His path, we will be off course from our destiny.

·     Some intentionally reject His rule, path, and destiny for them, deceptively thinking they can plot their own course and plan their own life’s outcome.

·        Others accept His rule, path, and destiny for them but may be lured off the path unknowingly.

 

What I heard was “course correction.”

A course correction implies that there is an error going on that needs to be corrected in order to bring the person (or people) to an intended destination.

 

The question is:

·     Is the course correction needed because the intended destination is wrong? Then the heart intentions need to align with the intentions of our Creator, God.

·     Or is the course correction needed because the person(s) mistakenly got off the correct path and onto another one? Then a realization needs to occur that we’ve gotten off track and need to get back on track.

 

There’s a difference between plotting your own course that intentionally takes you to a place outside of the will of God and getting off course mistakenly even though your intentions are to do His will. One is intentional, one is an error, but both will take you to the wrong place.

 

Both our intentions and our actions need to align with God’s “course” for our lives. Otherwise, we won’t get to our destiny. So, to fix an error in our current course we need a course correction.

 

2 Chronicles 7:14 is a course of action for a course correction.

14 and (if) My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

 

Turning from our wicked ways, humbling ourselves, praying, and seeking the face of God is a course correction.

 

 Proverbs 3:5-7 is instruction for maintaining the proper course.

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the Lord and turn away from evil.
 

Making our paths straight means He is keeping us on course.

 

God, bring both types of course corrections to us and our nation!

 

We humble ourselves, pray, seek Your face, and turn from our wicked ways

·        Hear from heaven!

·        Forgive our sin!

·        Heal our land!

 

We trust in You and acknowledge You in all our ways—

·        Direct our paths!

·        Plot our course!

·        Implement Your plan!

 

Your way is our course.

We desire, and intend, to stay on course.

However, we receive Your course corrections,

And at the proper time we will arrive at our destination, and receive the reward of our faithfulness.

Until then, we stay the course, making turns and corrections as needed.




Tuesday, July 9, 2024

Proof of a Creator and His Intentions

 


Premise:

Are you alive?
Did you cause your own life; bring yourself into existence under your own power?
Did you care for yourself immediately after your birth in order to stay alive?
Then you were given life by love; life which is love.

 

Consider the following:

1.      The fact that life is love is evidenced by the fact that it provides its recipients with all they need to:
a). Exist,
b). Continue to exist (both individually and as a species—both provision & reproduction capabilities),
c).  To flourish (grow, prosper).

2.      The fact that Love has both the will and ability to give life initially, and then continue to provide life for its recipients, is evidence that it has intelligence (consciousness), with both the intent and the power to make its intentions happen.
It doesn’t give life accidentally or randomly, because it continues to care for the thing it gave life to.

3.      Since Love is an intelligent being who has both the will and the power to bring things into existence, things which did not previously exist, Love is a creator.

4.      Since this loving, willful, powerful, (intelligent), creator responsibly cares for his creation, he therefore owns what he creates; decides its purpose and destiny.
The created thing can’t rightfully argue with the creator about what the creator desires to do with him.

5.      A creator has specific knowledge, intention, and power to create, therefore he can create more than one thing. He also has the right or authority to maintain order within and between everything he creates. This order (truth) will maintain his original objective of love, life, and prosperity.

6.      A creator with this degree of power may choose to create beings with a degree of will and power in themselves, assign them purpose, equip, and instruct them with what is needed to assist him in maintaining his order and original objectives.

7.      A creator who has the ability to create other beings with ability themselves, has the inherent right to protect himself and all of his creation from any attempt by that created being (or any created thing) to use their delegated abilities against the Creator, his creation, or his intentions or objectives. (Or against his assignment, will, and purpose for them).
Thus, a creator has the right and ability to both provide for and protect itself and its creation from cessation of life, which is death.

8.      Death is that which would attempt to extinguish, harm, or distort life. Anyone or anything that attempts to cause death will be subject to death itself, even from the Creator, for the purpose of protecting the Creator’s original intentions of life, love, and abundance.

9.      The original Creator is the first giver of life. The One who first loved and gave life and provision to his creation so it could continue to exist and prosper. Since he was the first, his will and authority is above all else. Consequently, this first intelligent being with intent and will, who has the power to cause His will and intentions to happen, has the rightful authority to assign purpose and destiny as he wills, and to protect His life and creation as he sees fit.

This One did in fact create, and brought into existence everything that now exists, even others with intelligence (will and intent) of their own. This original Creator is God—Lover, Provider, Protector.

10.  Therefore, God is worthy of the gratitude and loyalty of all of His creation, and He can require the adherence to His order of things to love, maintain, and protect life.

11.  God proves his existence, intentions, and power through his creation and created beings. His created beings have testified of God’s existence, intentions, and power, through the same power that God used to create—the power of words, spoken words.

12.  The testimony of God’s existence, his life, love, provision, intentions, power, ownership; his assigning of purpose and destiny; his equipping, instruction, protection, authority, and worthiness, have been spoken through his created beings and eventually documented in writing, passed down through the ages. The Bible. Since the Bible testifies of God and reveals His divine order and purpose for the human race, its truth must be adhered to in order to stay within the realm of life and love provided for by God who maintains the balance of all things.