I remember the people who have had compassion for me. For some godly reason, they raised me up and helped restore me to a former place. Then I was raised to a level beyond what I had ever experienced before. I remember Roger Buttacavoli and Bob Gnewuch, friends of mine whom I met in my lowest times of 2009-2010. They pushed me past the finish line to a new life after my business failed. Through our relationships they each reminded me to trust in the Lord with all my heart and not to lean on my own understanding. And in all my ways I was to acknowledge God and He would direct my paths. I still cherish the e-mail when both men told me they were praying for me, and that they relied on this Bible passage, which had yet to be seen contradicted in life. The Book of Proverbs is chock-full of wisdom and insight of God’s character and how to have a relationship with Him. These men have been relying on this for the past 30 to 40 years, and they were there for and with me in prayer.
You must believe who or what you’re obeying. Regardless of who or what is telling you the direction you need to take, you must believe that they have the authority in your life to speak these words. If an inmate is in prison and the prison guard tells them what to do, the inmate believes that the prison guard has authority over his direction. If a man or woman believes in God, each one must believe that God has ultimate authority over his or her life, and that He is in charge so that an individual won’t reject the prescribed direction.
I understand the need for each person to have time for transition. Each person must trust and believe first before action occurs or restoration begins. Major life changes are easier if you’re obedient, responsive, flexible, and teachable. These qualities teach you to be pure and upright.
Restoration is easier if you’re pure and upright. In the case of Job of the Bible, one of his friends said in verse 8:6 of Job, “If you’re pure and upright, surely now He would rouse Himself for you and restore your righteous estate.” In verse 22:23, another friend said, “If you return to the Almighty, you will be restored; If you remove unrighteousness far from your tent.” In verse 33:26, still another friend said that, “He will pray to God, and He will accept him that he may see His face with joy, and He may restore His righteousness to man.” Job’s friends were speaking correctly about God’s character, but they were wrong about Job’s situation. Then in verse 42:10,
The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold.
Job had the spirit of obedience. He believed that God would do what He said He would do. Life only exists in the spirit of the individual. When God told Adam and Eve that they would surely die if they ate fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, God was telling the truth. My dad believed that Adam and Eve’s death WAS immediate because of the expulsion of the Holy Spirit. Return to Him now and trust in Him regardless of any situation you’re enduring. Then you will receive comfort for your soul.