WHERE'S GOD???

[HOPE - Psalm 43:5]

WHERE’S WALDO?

Have you ever gone thru a Where's Waldo book? Or seen a page of it online? There's usually lots of activity on the page. To find Waldo, you have to first KNOW what Waldo looks like. You must know all of the details of his clothing and the shape of his body and his face. To find Waldo, you must also not be distracted by all the activity on the page nor must you fall for deceptions that are purposely put there to keep you from finding Waldo. And if you do get distracted or deceived, to find Waldo, you must not be discouraged if you do fall for the distractions and deceptions. You must keep looking because Waldo is most definitely somewhere on that page. Once you have found Waldo on that page, you must continue on to the next page…he’s there too!

WHERE’S GOD?

There is so much around us that keep us from finding God. We make lots of mistakes when we are looking for Him on the pages in the book of our lives; the pages of jobs, pages of school, pages of family, pages of friends, pages of romantic relationships, and more. We sometimes choose what resembles God only to discover that it isn’t Him at all. And when we are deceived and fail, we sometimes get discouraged and no longer want to continue searching for where He is at work in various areas of our lives.

Don’t stop looking for God! The key to finding Him at work, or in your various relationships or at school is to SEEK HIM… KEEP LOOKING! He is most definitely there! Unlike Waldo, God isn’t hiding from you.

WHY CAN’T I FIND GOD?

Ignorance – Matt 7:7-8 (NIV)

7"Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

One reason you may not be able to find God is because you may not realize that you should be seeking Him. Don’t just admire the pretty picture of life; being apathetic and just going thru the motions. Seek Him and you’ll find Him. Or, you may not be able to find God because you probably don’t know what He looks like. What are God’s characteristics? What does God look like in a family situation or in a friend situation or an employment situation or in a romantic situation? That answer can only be found by reading and studying His word. There are plenty of examples of how God operated in the those areas in the lives of the Believers represented in the Scriptures. Take the time to study your faith heroes in the Bible.


Distractions – Matthew 13:22 (NIV)

22The one who received the seed that fell among the thorns is the man who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke it, making it unfruitful.

This passage is part of the parable of the sower and the seed. In this passage of scripture the man is distracted by the things he sees around him and can’t focus on finding God through the Word that was sown in him. Faith comes by hearing God’s Word. But faith won’t remain if you begin to worry about the situations and circumstances around you. The Apostle Peter was able to walk on water as long as his eyes were fixed on Christ Jesus. Once Peter began to pay more attention to the wind and the waves around him and took his focus off Christ, he began to sink. Don’t be distracted by what you see, have confidence in WHO you know!


Deception – 2 Corinthians 4:1-6 (NIV)

1Therefore, since through God's mercy we have this ministry, we do not lose heart. 2Rather, we have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception, nor do we distort the word of God. On the contrary, by setting forth the truth plainly we commend ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God. 3And even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing. 4The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 5For we do not preach ourselves, but Jesus Christ as Lord, and ourselves as your servants for Jesus' sake. 6For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Christ.

Waldo has an enemy… his name is Odlaw. Notice is Odlaw is Waldo spelled backwards. You will find Odlaw on many of the Where’s Waldo pages. Odlaw resembles Waldo but that resemblance is corrupted. His presence on the page is to captivate you with his darker colors, blinding you and so that you stop searching for the real Waldo.

Many are deceived by the Devil and man by means of RELIGION. Many religions are a corrupted form of a pure relationship with God. They distort God’s word and present a false god … one with similar characteristics of our heavenly Father but if you look closely and compare their distorted doctrines to God’s Word, you will realize that the true gospel has been hidden from you. The Apostle Paul says that a person who presents a false gospel to you should be accursed (eternally condemned) – Galatians 1:6-9

So, where’s God? Start looking for Him. He promised if you seek Him, you’ll find Him. But you’d better hurry; you’re running out of time…

Isaiah 55:6
Seek ye the LORD while he may be found,
call ye upon him while he is near


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~Minister Tracy Curtis~
Founder, TAG Ministries, International
Website: http://tagministry.ning.com/
Email: [e-mail]