God is not your Genie!!!

God is not your Genie!!

Psalm 147:4-5

New International Version (NIV)

⁴ He determines the number of the stars
   and calls them each by name.
⁵ Great is our Lord and mighty in power;
   his understanding has no limit. 

Remember the song, "When you wish upon a star"? How many times have I gazed into a crystal clear, starry night and sent a prayer into the brightest part of the stars' fiery canopy??? Oh, only about a million times!! Remember dreaming that your wish might come true? Remember thinking that if it did, you would have true, lasting happiness!! Remember the hope of your wishes and dreams?? Guess what? There is only one desire that can be met perfectly in our lives, resulting in perfect peace!! Instead of wishing upon stars, we need to be praising the maker of the stars and the heavens, the Lord God Almighty!! When we worship the Lord God in spirit and in truth, then we are no longer listening to the lies of the world! In contrast, when we listen to the lies of the world, we miss the true identity and plan of the one, true God!!

Jeremiah 23:16-18

New International Version (NIV)

 ¹⁶ This is what the LORD Almighty says:
   “Do not listen to what the prophets are prophesying to you;
   they fill you with false hopes.
They speak visions from their own minds,
   not from the mouth of the LORD.
¹⁷ They keep saying to those who despise me,
   ‘The LORD says: You will have peace.’
And to all who follow the stubbornness of their hearts
   they say, ‘No harm will come to you.’ 
¹⁸ But which of them has stood in the council of the LORD
   to see or to hear his word?
   Who has listened and heard his word?

What does God's word say about His peace?

John 14:26-28

New International Version (NIV)

²⁶ But the Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you. ²⁷ Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid. 

Again, the God of peace gives you graciously all things, understanding that He knows what you truly need to have peace; all humankind will ever need is to be made right with Jesus!!

1 Thessalonians 5:23
May God himself, the God of peace, sanctify you through and through. May your whole spirit, soul and body be kept blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Good Lord God has proclaimed His good intentions toward us if we would let Him lead!!






   ¹¹ “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep" (John 10:9-11, NIV).


God says in His word that He has come to save us, He is mighty to save!  God says again and again in His word that He will be our God and we will be His people and that no one will ever make us afraid!!  So, how's your fear factor this morning?? Are you afraid? Perhaps you may have forgotten that God has a plan that is mighty to save you, able to save you, and ready to save you?? When was the last time you just wished for something that could save you? When was the last time you realized that Jesus is the fulfillment of every true desire ever placed inside your heart? I hope for you that you know in your inner most places that Jesus fills every single desire!!  My prayer for all of us is that we understand that it is He, Jesus that is our Salvation, the treausure and everlasting peace!! Please meditate on Scriptures such as Jeremiah 29:11 and Proverbs 3:5-6 and again in the Psalms,
   trust in him and he will do this.

We have to understand that God has a plan and that the plan is good and that the end results are beautiful!! Yes, God will give you the desires of your heart only because He knows what your heart needs! Friends you need Him, not what you think He can do for you...you simply need Him.  Yes, the answer is Jesus.  His name is Jesus and He is your peace, your Salvation, your friend, your Advocate, the lover of your soul, your protection and He is the plan for your life!!  Oh, Praise the Name of Jesus...!! He Saves you from your sin and gives you His righteousness leading to eternal life with Him, the Hope of Glory!! Sound good??? Can I get a witness?? How about an Amen??? Want things God's way...??? If your heart is saying, "Amen", then save yourself from keeping God from blessing your life with His ways!!  How??? Let God be God!! He is not your Genie!! Let God be God!!  Know God as the only source, with out limits, of true light!!  Never allow yourself to put God in the wrong role, unless you would like to star in the wrong play on a very precarious stage!!   God is not your Genie!! God is not your Genie in a bottle, or your Genie in a box, or your servant in any shape or form!!!! GOD IS NOT YOUR GENIE! "Provisos, limits on wishes??? What kind of a genie are you??" complained Aladdin. "Infinite cosmic power, and teeny little living space, answers the Genie!!" (Line from Aladdin, the Disney version).  In part 3 of the Magic Carpet ride, I want to tell you a story about my life and how I still saw God as my genie in a bottle!!

FIRST KISS:  I remember moving to Southern California, my original home from childhood! I was now 14 and almost 15 when we moved into our new house in Temecula!! I'll never forget thinking that California promised peace to my stormy battle with rejection! Entering the 9th grade, even in California, my supposed home of comfort, did not mean acceptance for me at all!! Evidently, my magic carpet ride out of Kansas didn't have a very long shelf life in promises!! "There's a big surprise! I think I'm going to die and have a heart attack from that surprise!" (line spoken by Iago, the parrot from Aladdin)  Well, after a year in high school, the reality was written on the wall: almost everyone in my public high school lived a standard that conflicted with Christ! Where was I going to have friends?? A boyfriend?? Truly, we did have a youth group at our Nazarene Church, but we had to drive pretty far a way to find it and therefore, social outings with the group were not easily arranged!! Loneliness encircled my heart, as I waited for my wishes to come true..!! Genie? I want a boyfriend to comfort me and help me not to feel alone! Genie, I want a friend that I can trust completely! Genie, I want to fit in at school! Oh, Genie, if you love me so much, why do I feel so alone??Jennifer, Jennifer, Jennifer!!! Darling Sophomore in high school, lost and tossed by two classic mistakes..!! Did you not know that God was your comfort, that God was your friend, and that God accepts you, Jennifer?  Mistake number one: X-nay on telling the Lord how to make you happy; God is not your Genie!! When God says "no" and you see Him as your Genie, then you question His worth, His goodness, and His Sovereignty!! When God says "no" and you see Him as Lord, then you are not disappointed for you know the plans He has for you, plans to Prosper you and not to Harm You!!!!  Mistake number two: No thing can ever satisfy you but God himself, praise His holy name!! So, a big X-nay on the wishing for more wishes...!! No matter how many times you wish for the next best thing...things will never be enough, when you are a fit only for God!! Please tell everyone you know the truth??? The truth is, "We are all a perfect fit for God and for God alone; only God can satisfy!!"

Enter another story in my life that made me question if God was worth the battle~!

After piano lessons over in San Diego, mom and I would always stop by the mall on the way home to Temecula!! Always hungry, our routine included stopping for teriyaki bowls at Panda Express and then walking through Nordstrom to check the sales!  One day, during my Junior yr. in High school, mom and I were walking through Nordstrom. Suddenly, we heard the piano being played just beautifully! Rapidly, I grabbed my mom and my sister and went up the escalator to see who was playing the music! Completely expecting to see an older woman or man pounding on the keys, I was shocked to find a very handsome young man of about 17 yrs. old!! Oh, be still my heart!! From the blue eyes, to the blonde hair and the tuxedo, my mind had completely forgotten all about Timothy or even Aladdin!! Yes, the young man was gorgeous, not to mention the fact that he could really play the piano; I loved to play the piano!!   The moment our eyes met, the young man smiled and said, "hello"! Uh oh!! Not only was he cute and talented, but the young pianist had a gorgeous, foreign accent!! Sorry, but I love foreign cultures and language! Obviously, the attraction was going to sky rocket the moment I knew he was foreign!! C'est la vie, C'est l'amour!! Not even!! Let's call him, Sasha!! No, that was not his real name, but that is a foreign name that I like very much!! Sasha asked for my phone number as butterflies raced around in my stomach!! In fact, I gave him my phone number and told him that I played the piano too and how much I loved hearing his playing!! After a little conversation, I glanced back and flashed my best smile at those blue eyes!! Yep, it's safe to say, that "I was a goner"!  As though all my lonliness had been kicked by the genie into another galaxy, I began to dance, lighter than air all week long, waiting for Sasha to call! Well, Sasha did not call me and the week passed me by slowly as the time came for another piano lesson in San Diego! Alas, when the lesson finished and we headed to the mall, I was not thinking about Chinese food!!! After eating quickly, my mom and sister and myself headed to Nordstrom! My sister suggested that if I saw him, to simply walk on by like I didn't know he was there at all!! Well, older sisters, who are crazy beautiful and have a lot more dating experience than you must give the right advice, right?? Ha! Who am I kidding?? More dating experience than me?? Well, that is an understatment!! In fact, "I'd never been outside the palace walls, and Raja was not even my friend" (Jasmine quote paraphrased)!! Yes, here I was at the age of 16, and definitely never been kissed!! So, I walked up the escalator, saw Sasha at the top of the landing, playing the piano, and continued to walk slowly past him like I didn't care at all!! Wow, my sister was right!! If only you could imagine my delight that Sasha could barely play the piano as he watched me walk by and tried to get my attention!! Well, I simply continued straight down the walkway and then made my way to the ladies room! My genius sister followed me and let me know that I executed that move very well!! Frantically, I asked her what I should do next and she let me know that I needed to go back out there to see if he might say something about why he didn't call!! Full of anticipation, I exited the restroom and walked over by the piano! Sasha said hello and immediately began to explain why he hadn't called me! In fact, he asked for my number again and asked if I wanted to go out sometime!! Wow!! Playing it cool, I just said that that idea sounded like fun and maybe we'd talk later! After a little bit of shopping, we left the mall and went home! Not only did Sasha call and ask me to meet him that Friday night at the mall, but he was going to take me out to dinner and to play laser tag!! Of course, my immediate response was, "yes"! Dutifully, I ran down the stairs to ask my mom permission and to explain what the plans would be for my first date ever!!! Thankfully, mom said, yes! As Friday was only a few days away, the hours passed quickly till finally the day was here! No, I didn't have my license yet and no, I didn't go to the mall with friends! Yes, my mom drove me to the mall and then walked me into the meeting place, where Sasha and I said, "hello"! Just like a charming prince, Sasha was sooo nice to my mom and told her all of the plans. Also, Sasha was sure to let her know when he would be dropping me off at home. Finally, mom said good-bye and Sasha and I were on my very first date together!! Little did I know how much my standards and beliefs were about to be put to the test!! Heaven knows the decisions I was going to have to make on that first date and then on the second date would change my life significantly!! In order to really trust the Lord, we must know that He is Good!! Friends, knowing about His goodness is not the same as knowing He is good personally!! I'm going to stop this post here as I've decided to post, "God is not your Genie" in two segments! Let's end with a Scripture on which to meditate, and a few questions that will help us to ponder lessons to be learned in the next post!!

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8

New International Version (NIV)

 ³ It is God’s will that you should be sanctified: that you should avoid sexual immorality; ⁴ that each of you should learn to control your own body^[a] in a way that is holy and honorable, ⁵ not in passionate lust like the pagans, who do not know God; ⁶ and that in this matter no one should wrong or take advantage of a brother or sister.^[b] The Lord will punish all those who commit such sins, as we told you and warned you before. ⁷ For God did not call us to be impure, but to live a holy life. ⁸ Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.

What do you think happens when you obey and trust God without truly understanding He is not your genie, but your God? remember, we must all accept God and trust Him!! However, we must accept Him as the God he is, not as anything else!! Do you really know and accept God's role in your life?? Are you ever disappointed in life's outcomes and tempted to ask God, why? Your joy must never come from an outcome!! Never!! Our joy always must come from our Savior who is more than enough!!