Tuesday, 29 April 2014

Verse of the Day

    

Verse of the Day



Thoughts on Today's Verse...

Beyond what these words were first meant to convey, we know today that our Redeemer will return as the Rider on the white horse in triumph and victory. Hallelujah, what a day! Then the world truly WILL KNOW that Jesus Christ, our Savior and brother and friend, is Lord of all things!

When Parents Break Your Heart

true life stories & Christian testimonies






When Parents Break Your Heart 
by Mike Woodard  


I was sleeping on the couch. At least they thought I was sleeping. My parents, both drunk, were having a fight. My father pushed my mother with enough force that she broke her pelvis and ended up in the hospital. This was one of many crazy memories of that I have of my family. Even to this day some of the dramas of the carnage of alcoholism remain untold. At another time I, along with my two brothers and sister, were called from our beds in the middle of the night. My parents, again drunk, announced that they were getting divorced. We were asked to choose which parent we wanted to follow. Despair and sadness moved into my life like a fog. Even thoughts of suicide lingered for a season.
I am a survivor ((and many would even describe me as a success ).  I graduated from high school and university with honors. My survival has not been without some baggage. In particular there was a deep-seated anger and bitterness toward my father. That anger created a barrier not only between my father and me but it also affected other relationships. This effect I have now come to call “the theory of primary relationships” is an intuitive theory. I have no scientific proof. The theory goes something like this:  when there are significant unresolved issues in the family, it will affect all our other relationships.
I will never forget a conversation I had with a roommate at Colorado State University during a two week course I was taking. He asked lots of questions, and the topic of home life came up, centering on the relationship with my father. He said, “Mike, you need to love your dad.” I knew that I didn’t, and I was not sure I could. At best, at this point my anger had been mingled with pity.
Months later I looked my dad in the eyes and told him, “I love you.” He cried.
That was the beginning of a restoration work in our relationship. I’m not sure my father ever understood how his actions had affected me, but I do know how my actions affected him. I chose to give love as a gift to him. On Father’s Day I wrote him a letter telling him the good things he had done as a parent. I never heard back from him but my mother wrote me and said, “Your dad got your letter. He sat in his chair, read it and cried. I think it is what he needed.” (This was a significant note from my mother because her relationship with my father was fractured. I was afraid that she would somehow feel betrayed if I was kind to the person who caused so much pain in her life, but she didn’t seem to resent it.)
Somehow, dealing with the relationship with my dad set me free and taught me lessons the have made other important relationships better. As my father came to the end of his life, I had the satisfaction of knowing we were okay with each other, I had done and said what needed to be done and said on my part, so there were no regrets. For that I am thankful.  
I’m sure you are wondering how I could go from anger and bitterness to love. It was only because I experienced love and forgiveness that helped me to understand how to give love and forgive others. This experience came through a journey in personal faith, which started when my sister began attending a youth group. Through her influence I began to understand that God loved me and had in fact sent Jesus Christ to die to demonstrate that love. Christ’s death was not only to demonstrate God’s love but to provide forgiveness of all my sin and to give me eternal life.  God promised once I asked Christ into my life that he would never leave me.
As I understood this love and forgiveness and experienced God’s presence in my life, I seemed to have new resources to love and forgive others. A significant test of this was the relationship with my father. If God could love me and forgive me how could I not do the same for my father?
I realized through this relationship and others there is a circle of “primary relationships” in my life. These are significant for good or bad. Pain and hurt in these relationships can be carried for a life time like the proverbial “ball and chain” resulting in multiplied misery. The process of dealing with the relationship with my father has turning the “ball and chain” into a building block toward health and greater capacity in my relational world.
..............
You can receive Christ right now by faith through prayer. Praying is simply talking to God. God knows your heart and is not so concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart. Here’s a suggested prayer:
Lord Jesus, I want to know you personally. Thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to you and ask you to come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank you for forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of person you want me to be.
Does this prayer express the desire of your heart? You can pray it right now, and Jesus Christ will come into your life, just as He promised.
If you invited Christ into your life, thank God often that He is in your life, that He will never leave you and that you have eternal life. As you learn more about your relationship with God, and how much He loves you, you’ll experience life to the fullest.

Talking to God!

How to pray






Talking to God!
by K J Kehler 


Always keep on praying” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
prayerOur granddaughters, Mercedes (age five) and Tia (age three), were having dinner with us. They were wiggly and giggly just before my husband prayed before the meal.

Settle down girls,” I said,
Grandpa is going to talk to God.”
Talk to God?” asked Mercedes, her big, brown eyes wide open.
Grandpa is talking to God?
That was new concept to her. She knew how to “pray” but didn’t realize that praying was actually talking to God.
Vonette Bright, the co-founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, International, was the person who first modeled spontaneous prayer for me, “Always keep on praying.” When we were driving from one city to the next, during our conversation, she would suddenly start talking to God about the subjects we were discussing. When we passed a car accident, she would begin praying for the well being of the people in the cars involved in the accident. When she was packing her clothes in garment bags, she would thank for Lord for His provisions.
It is very satisfying to pray spontaneously. For example, last week while my husband and I were on vacation, we continually talked to God aloud while driving or hiking and at home (not as often while playing golf!).
We prayed for our children and grandchildren, for our staff, about the subjects of our conversation, for our friends and acquaintances, the state of the world, for unbelievers, new believers and much more.
When someone asks you to pray for them, do it right then, either person to person, on the phone or email. They will be blessed; you will be blessed. When the Lord brings names of people or situations to mind, pray for them.
Always keep on praying. Prayer is talking to God - talk to Him.
Father, what a privilege it is to talk to You. You are always there, You are always listening. You always hear us. You care! You like to talk to us. Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Monday Morning Miracle

Monday Morning Miracle
by Jana Wegener

It was a Monday morning unlike any other. It was 15 years ago and I can still recall every detail of that day, as if permanently burned into my memory. I replay the events in my mind and it feels as if my life is flashing before my eyes every time I tell the tale. I woke up and started getting ready for work just like every other morning before, completely unaware that my life and the lives of my children would be spared from a terrible fate. That morning I experienced a miracle that changed my life and the way I view life forever.
It was a cold spring morning in early April; I rushed around the house getting ready for work and coaxed my two little ones out of bed to bring them to day care. Still snuggly and warm in their pajamas and smelling the wonderful aroma in their soft hair from the bath the night before, I bundled them up in their winter coats and carefully latched them into their car seats. I offered Lauren, who was 7 months old at the time, her bottle to soothe her on the car ride. Phillip, 5 years old and used to the routine, climbed into his seat as if preprogrammed like a little robot going through the motions.
We lived quite a ways out in the country on a gravel road, and in the spring sometimes as the frost comes out of the earth, it will cause the gravel roads to heave erupting the soil, leaving large rough holes and mounds of frozen dirt in the road. As I sped along trying to get the kids dropped off on time so I would not be late for work, I crested a hill and saw the ominous sight, the black outline of one of these obstacles in my path. I was unable to redirect my impact and avoid hitting the frost heave because either side of the road had a pond that hugged tightly to the shoulder. I braced myself, tightening my grip on the wheel preparing for the impact. As I hit the crater in the road, my car lunged and the loose gravel spun beneath my tires, sending me into a frightening spinning motion that I could not pull out of.
“Oh, God, please help me through this!” I cried out as I felt the speed of my car come to a brutal halt as it slammed into the icy waters behind me. I could feel the momentum of my car drag against the water as the vehicle began to float out backwards deeper, deeper, and deeper.
The black icy water began to bubble up around my feet from below. Powered by self-preservation and fear, my instincts took over. I tried to reach and open my car door to escape. My fear of water and inability to swim caused me to panic and react without thinking of my children buckled into their car seats in the back. The car door thankfully would not open as if being held shut by a ton of bricks; the pressure of the water pressing on my door would not allow me to open it.
That moment gave me time to gather my senses, “Oh, God, please not my babies!" I shouted as my children cried in fear.
I reached back and unbuckled the kids from their car seats. I unbuckled Phillip, who scurried over the seats and into my lap. Then I reached for Lauren, unbuckled her, and grabbed her out of her seat. I gathered them up into my arms as the water rose higher and higher in the vehicle was now above my knees. The frigid cold burned my skin, not knowing the depth of the pond, I feared the car would fill completely with water and we would all drown. I had no choice but to try to escape. I grabbed my little ones one in each arm and reached for the passenger door handle, pulled it open and kicked at the door. As it opened, the black water rushed in with intense pressure and force. The deep penetrating cold shocked my senses and robbed me of my breath. I remember gasping at the pain of the intense cold and clenching by babies close to my body as I prayed, “LORD, I can’t do this without you!” and then nothing.
I remember nothing, not one detail of anything else that happened until I found myself gripping the frozen dirty grass in my fist on the bank of the pond with my son sitting on the edge of the road in front of me and my baby in my arms. I struggled to lift her cold, crying, wet little body out of the water because of the weight of her wet winter clothing. I then gathered my strength and pulled myself up onto the road. I stood up and scooped my babies into my arms, thankful that were alive. Crying and in shock of what had just happened, I carried them both in my arms all the way to a farm house ¼ mile down the road. Frozen solid, dripping wet, terrified, and thankful, I called my husband to come pick us up.
Still clutching the children in my arms, my husband arrived at the door moments later. Thankful to find us all safe, we stood embracing each other in that stranger’s kitchen. Then while telling the story of what happened and going over the details of the events that morning, we realized that my hair shoulder length at the time was not even damp!
Friends and relatives joked saying, “You must have walked on water. “ But I believe my children and I experienced a miracle, and when I called out to God for help, he sent angels to carry me and my children to shore.
That Monday morning was unlike any other. I experienced a miracle that strengthened my faith, beliefs, and values about life and how precious it is. To all those willing to listen, believe in miracles, hold tight to your children, and cherish your loved ones: you never know what each day brings.

Angels: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Angels: The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Written by Sue Bohlin


I was about thirteen years old when I had my first encounter with an angel. I was going upstairs to my room, pulling my entire weight on the handrail, when it suddenly came off in my hand. I fell backwards, head first. Halfway into a terrible fall, I felt a strong hand on my back push me upright. There was nobody there--well, nobody visible!
Angel stories are always fascinating, and in this essay I address angels: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The good angels are the holy ones, the bad angels are the evil ones, which the Bible calls demons, and the ugly angels are demons disguising themselves as good angels. These ugly angels have deceived many people in a culture that has embraced "angel mania."
The Good Angels
The book of Hebrews calls angels "ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation" (Heb. 1:14). Angels minister in many ways to us, and I'd like to look at some of their ministries with examples from the scriptures as well as some modern anecdotes.

Provision

The Lord uses His angels to physically provide for His own. It was an angel who brought Elijah bread and water while fleeing from Jezebel after his victory on Mt. Carmel (1 Kings 19:5-6).
In 1944, the penniless wife of a pastor and evangelist in Switzerland, Susie Ware prayed, "God, I need five pounds of potatoes, two pounds of pastry flour, apples, pears, a cauliflower, carrots, veal cutlets for Saturday, and beef for Sunday." A few hours later, someone knocked on the door, and there was a young man carrying a basket, who said, "Mrs. Ware, I am bringing what you asked for." It was precisely what she'd prayed for--down to the exact brand of pastry flour she wanted. The young man slipped away, and even though Rev. and Mrs. Ware watched at the window to their building, the man never exited. He just disappeared.{1}

Guidance

Sometimes, angels give guidance so God's people will know what He wants us to do. An angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and instructed him to take Mary as his wife and to name her baby Jesus. (Matthew 1:20-21)
And it was an angel who told Philip where to go in his travels so that he could meet the Ethiopian eunuch and lead him to Christ. (Acts 8:26)
My friend Lee experienced the comfort of guidance from an angel when the other men in his army unit were pressuring him to visit a red-light district. As he prayed for strength, an invisible messenger came to him and said, quite audibly from about 10 feet away, "Have no fear of them. Do not succumb. I will sustain you and deliver you."

Encouragement

Angelic ministry to us can include powerful encouragement. When Paul and his shipmates were caught in a horrible storm and faced shipwreck, an angel appeared to him, assured him that not a life would be lost, and that he would live to stand trial before Caesar. (Acts 27:23)
One mother of a young girl told me that the night after her daughter's cancer surgery, a very tall nurse with long braids, a real Amazon, ministered to her all night long. She was caring for the girl with a strong but gentle tenderness, and talking with the mom about how good God is. After they went home, the mother decided to write a thank-you note to the nurse, and called the hospital to ask for her name. Everyone--even the head of nursing--insisted that there was no nurse with that description working at the hospital. She believes God sent an angel to encourage her through that dark night.

Protection

This world is a dangerous place, and angels can provide supernatural protection. Daniel 6 tells the story of how an angel shut the mouths of the lions when he was thrown into their den.
A young lady named Myra worked in the inner-city ministry of Teen Challenge in Philadelphia. One neighborhood gang liked to terrorize anyone who tried to enter the Teen Challenge building, and they harassed Myra as well. One night, when she was alone in the building with the ing on the door, she felt she should continue to try to reach out to them with the gospel of Jesus. As she opened the door, she breathed a prayer for protection. The boys suddenly stopped their shouting, looked at each other, turned and left quietly. Myra had no idea why.
Later on, as the staff people were able to build relationships with the gang members, the ministry director asked them why they dropped their threats against Myra and left her alone that night. One young man spoke up, saying, "We wouldn't dare touch her after her boyfriend showed up. That dude had to be seven feet tall." The director said, "I didn't know Myra had a boyfriend. But at any rate, she was here alone that night." Another gang member insisted, "No, we saw him. He was right behind her, big as life in his classy white suit."{2}
Another young woman walking home from work in Brooklyn had to go past a young man loitering against a building. She was fearful; there had been muggings in the area recently, and she prayed for protection. She had to go right by him, and although she could feel him watching her, he didn't move. A short time after she reached home, she heard sirens and saw police lights. The next day her neighbor told her someone had been raped, in the same place and just after she had passed by the young man.
She wondered if the man she'd passed was the rapist, because if it were, she could identify him. She called the police and discovered they had a suspect in custody. She identified him in a lineup and asked the policeman, "Why didn't he attack me? I was just as vulnerable as the next woman who came along." The policeman was curious too, so he described the woman and asked the suspect about her. He said, "I remember her. But why would I have bothered her? She was walking down the street with two big guys, one on either side of her."{3}

Rescue

Sometimes, angels rescue people in danger. It was an angel--if not the Angel of the Lord, who is the pre-incarnate Christ--who joined Meshach, Shadrach and Abednego in the fiery furnace, rescuing them from the flames (Daniel 3).
My friend John told me that he and a friend were walking through a rough neighborhood one night when 12 or 15 gang members jumped them. John took two punches and sank to the ground. He expected to be robbed and severely beaten, but he wasn't. Instead, he heard a voice from about six feet up: "It's okay, they're gone." He looked up and saw his friend who mysteriously was now about 25 feet away, leaning against a wall with his fists still clenched as if he were ready to fight. But there was no gang. They just disappeared. And there was nobody next to John.

Warrior Angels

The ministry of warrior angels catches the imagination in a special way. The prophet Elisha prayed that the Lord would open the eyes of his servant so he could see the mighty angelic army of God protecting them.
In Nazi Germany, one mother took her little boy, who was unchurched, to a shelter run by nuns that had become known as a safe place because nothing bad ever seemed to happen there. His first night, while everyone else was praying that God would protect them, this little boy kept his eyes open. After the "amen," he told his mother, "It came up to here on them!" and pointed to his breastbone. When asked what he meant, he said, "The gutter came up to here on them!" A nurse asked, "What are you talking about?" and he told her that he saw men filled with light guarding each corner of the shelter, so tall that they towered above the roof. The shelter was protected by huge warrior angels that only a little boy could see.{4}

Guardian Angels

Do we have guardian angels? The Bible doesn't give a definitive answer on that, although the Lord Jesus did say, "See that you do not look down on one of these little ones. For I tell you that their angels in heaven always see the face of my Father in heaven." (Matthew 18:10) And Psalm 91:11 promises, "For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways."
One day, when my son was a baby, I tripped while I was holding him, and he went flying headlong toward a brick wall. There was nothing I could do to protect him, but I watched as he inexplicably stopped an inch from the wall and fell gently to the carpet. I knew immediately that an angel's hand had been his bumper pad.
These are only a few of the stories of thousands about angels who protected and rescued people, both Christians and non- Christians. But a nagging question continues to arise: where are the angels when girls are raped, and drunk drivers crash headlong into a car of teenagers, and evil people blow up buildings with hundreds of innocent people in them?
The angels are still there, continuing to minister in pain and death. We usually don't realize the role of angels in the midst of horrible circumstances because their work is unseen and often unfelt.
Behind the question of, "Where are the angels?" is the very difficult problem of why a good God would allow pain and suffering. The book of Job gives us two important insights into the problem of pain: first, when disasters and suffering assail us in the physical realm, there may be something bigger and more important going on in the unseen spiritual realm.{5} Second, God never gives Job an answer to his demand to know the "why": He just says, "I am the sovereign Lord, acting in ways you cannot understand. You just need to trust Me, that I know what I'm doing." The fact that God is in control, that He allows all pain and suffering for a reason, is the great comfort that we need to remember when it seems like the angels have forsaken us. They haven't, because God hasn't.

The Bad Angels

There are good angels, and there are bad angels. All of them were created as holy angels, but about a third of them rebelled against God and fell from their sinless position. Satan, the leader of these demons or unholy angels, is a liar, a murderer, and a thief. (John 10:10) He hates God and he passionately hates God's people. The Bible tells us that he prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour (1 Peter 5:8). We need to remember that Satan and all the demons are supernaturally brilliant, and Satan disguises himself as an angel of light (2 Cor. 11:14).
It's this masquerade as a holy angel that is behind the current angel craze in our culture. While there are a number of wonderful Christian books available that relate stories of holy angels helping people, there are many books, publications, and seminars that are filled with demonic deception of the ugliest kind. Because when you start talking to angels, you end up dealing with demons.

The Ugly Angels

The enemy of our souls is using a new twist on an old lie, exploiting the current interest in angels to attract the untaught and the undiscerning. Much of the current angel mania is simply New Age philosophy, which is actually old-fashioned pantheism. Pantheism is the belief that everything--an impersonal God as well as every part of the creation--is one big unity. All is one, God is one, we are God--and New Age philosophy throws reincarnation into the mix as well.
You know you're around "ugly angels," or demons masquerading as angels of light and holiness, when you see or hear these terms:
1. Contacting or communing with angels.
There are now books available with titles like Ask Your Angels{6} and 100 Ways to Attract Angels{7}. But the Bible gives neither permission nor precedent for contacting angels. When people start calling on angels, it's not the holy angels who answer. They're demons, disguising themselves as good angels to people who don't know how to tell the difference.
2. Loving our angels, praying to our angels.
Some self-styled "angel experts" instruct their followers to love their angels and call upon them for health, healing, prosperity, and guidance. But angels are God's servants, and all this attention and emphasis and glory should go to God, not His servants. God says, "I will not share my glory with another" (Isaiah 42:8). Scripture makes no mention of loving angels--only God, His word, and people. And it never tells us to pray to angels, only to the Lord Himself.
3. Instruction, knowledge, or insight from angels, particularly ones with names.
Some angel teachers are proclaiming that angels are trying very hard to contact us, so they can give us deeper knowledge of the spiritual{8}. Invariably, this "angel knowledge" is a mixture of truth and lies, and never stands up to the absolute truth of Scripture.
There are four angel names that keep popping up in the angel literature: Michael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Raphael. Michael and Gabriel are the only angels mentioned by name in the Bible. The other two show up in the apocryphal First Book of Enoch, which includes a fanciful account of the actions of these four beings. [Note: it has been brought to my attention that there are actually two other named angels in the Bible: Apollyon, the angel of the abyss in Revelation 9:11, and Satan, who is an evil, fallen angel.] Those who report modern day angel teachings are actually channeling information from demons.
4. Special knowledge or teachings from angels.
Naomi Albright distributes teachings about the deep meanings of colors, and numbers and letters of the alphabet which she claims is "knowledge given from above and brought forth in more detail by the High Angelic Master Sheate, Lady Master Cassandra, and Angel Carpelpous, and the Master Angel, One on High."{9} These same beings told Mrs. Albright to stress two main teachings: first, that God accepts all religions, and second, Reincarnation.{10} These two teachings keep showing up in much of the New Age angel literature, which shouldn't be surprising since they are heretical lies that come from the pit of hell, which is where the demons feeding these lies to the teachers are from.
Other angel teachings are that all is a part of God (pantheism); the learner is set apart from others by the "deep" knowledge that the angels give (this is a basic draw to the occult); and that eventually, the one who pursues contact with these angels will be visited by an Ascended Master or a Shining Angel (which is a personal encounter with a demon).
We need to remember that God's angels are not teachers. God's word says they are messengers--that's what "angel" means--and they minister to us. God has revealed to us everything we need for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3), so any hidden knowledge that spirit beings try to impart is by nature evil and demonic.
5. Human divinity
The message of the ugly angels is that we need to recognize that we are one with the divine, we are divine. . .we are God. In Karen Goldman's The Angel Book: A Handbook for Aspiring Angels, she says things like, "Angels don't fall out of the sky; they emerge from within."{11} And, "The whole purpose in life is to know your Angel Self, accept it and be it. In this way we finally experience true oneness."{12}
The following bit of heretical garbage was channeled from a demon posing as an angel named Daephrenocles: "The wondrous light of the Angels, from the elohim to the Archangels to the Devas and Nature Spirits, are all bringing to you the realization that you are magnificent--you are divine now and divine first."{13}
Much of the angel literature refers to "the angel within." But angels are a separate part of the creation. They were created before man as a different kind. They are not within us. The movie "It's a Wonderful Life" notwithstanding, when we hear a bell ring it does not mean that an angel is getting his wings. Nor do good people, especially children, become angels when they die. We remain human beings--not angels, and certainly not God.
What our culture needs in response to the angel craze is strong discernment built on the foundation of God's word. We need to remember, and share with others, three truths about angels:
1. The ministry of holy angels will never contradict the Bible.
2. The actions of holy angels will always be consistent with the character of Christ.
3. A genuine encounter with a holy angel will glorify God, not the angel. Holy angels never draw attention to themselves. They typically do their work and disappear.
It's very true that many have "entertained angels unaware" (Hebrews 13:2). But we need to make sure we're entertaining the right kind of angels!

Unwrapping the Gifts of the Cross

Unwrapping the Gifts of the Cross




Max Lucadoby Max Lucado
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.John 3:16
Much has been said about Jesus’ “gift of the Cross.” But what of the other gifts? What of the nails, the crown of thorns?  The garments taken by the soldiers?  Have you taken time to open these gifts?
He didn’t have to give us these gifts, you know. The only required act for our salvation was the shedding of blood, yet He did much more.  So much more.
Search the scene of the Cross—and what do you find? A wine-soaked sponge.  A sign.  Two crosses beside Christ. Divine gifts intended to stir that moment, that split second when your face will brighten, your eyes will widen, and God will hear you whisper, “You did this for me?” Dare we think such thoughts?
Let’s unwrap these gifts of grace– as if for the first time. Pause and listen.  Perhaps you will hear Him whisper, “I did it just for you!”

The Hidden Place

The Hidden Place

Remember when Jesus said, “Consider the lilies, how they grow”? (Matthew 6:28)
He was teaching His disciples a lesson on trust and anxiety and leaving worrisome things in the hands of their Creator.
But how do lilies grow?
In a hidden place.
Right now, winter is passing into color, and a brighter world is springing up out of nowhere.
But where did this color and beauty come from?
From the dark.
In the hidden place.
This beauty and color and life out of dormancy is springing up from the dark.
From a hidden place.
Oswald Chambers once said,
We imagine we are to be always above ground, shedding perfume and looking beautiful; or being continually cut and put into God’s show room to be admired, forgetting altogether that we cannot grow and be cut at the same time. We cannot be lilies unless we have spent time in the dark.”
(Still Higher for His Highest, p. 46)
We could never hope to be a source of joy and life and blessing until we’ve spent time in the dark.
Unless we’ve been in the hidden place.
I was there when these tulip bulbs were planted—small, round balls of hope buried deep in the dark for a brighter day. Buried deep in a hidden place, bearing up under the snow and cold of a different season, yet sharing life today.
Life buried deep in a hidden place will always shed joy and life and hope for others.
Because the hidden place of life in Christ is a place of peace and growth we could never experience any other way.
Consider your hidden life with God,” Oswald Chambers also said.
That hidden life will bear up in the darkest seasons. That hidden place will always grow life that can’t be ignored.
Your hidden life in Him will bless others.
He will bless through you as you lie dormant in His embrace continually and contentedly.
Living for Him. Loving Him. Seeking His face. Resting in Him.
In the hidden place.
Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” (Colossians 3:3)

You Make a Difference

You Make a Difference


Flowersby Holley Gerth
I’m thinking of you this morning, wherever you are, and of the difference you’re making.
You might think it’s small.
You might think no one really sees.
You might think you should do something bigger, better, more spiritual.
But lean in and listen close…
The best gift you can offer this world is you.
And that’s what you’re doing–
just putting messy, glorious, imperfect, made-new you out there.
In your home, your family, your office, your community, your world.
We’d miss you if you weren’t there. It just wouldn’t be the same. And no one could take your place.
So keep it up, my friend. Keep giving and loving and living right where you are.
It matters more than you know, more than you see.
{And you do too.}

Words that Saved My Life

Words that Saved My Life

When I was about ten years old, my older brother and I were riding our bikes on a trail that was the “back way” to a small store in order to avoid the main route that was along a busy highway. One section of the trail was a narrow path that ran along the edge of the bank of a river.
My bike had the old-fashioned saddle bag wire baskets on either side of the back wheel. I had a six pack of pop in one basket that gave me a slight sensation of being off balance. The path that ran so close along the river made me nervous without this added challenge of weighty cargo in my basket.
Well, as you may have guessed, the bike, pop and I ended up sliding off the path and falling over the bank into the river. The drop down to the water was about a meter and a half. My bike got caught on a root so did not get washed away.
I had also landed in the water and was thrashing around yelling, “Help, I’m drowning!” My brother yelled back at me, “Stand up.”
While I had fallen into deep water that was over my head, through my thrashing I had moved to a place that was not. To this day I wonder if I could have drowned in the shallower water if my brother had not told me to stand up.
Words are powerful for good or for destruction. Words can bless or wound deeply.
A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. Like an earring of gold or an ornament of fine gold is a wise man’s rebuke to a listening ear.”   Proverbs 25:11-12. (NIV)
There may be someone around you who is thrashing in the currents of life and is in need of some life giving words today, a word of encouragement to help them see how to extricate themselves from an overwhelming situation. Or, you, yourself may need a life giving word from someone close to you, who sees a bigger picture than you do.
For all who wrestle with seemingly life threatening challenges, God’s word, the Bible is his love letter to us. Open it often and listen to God’s instructions, drinking deep because it is the source of true and life giving words.

Who Knows Me?

Who Knows Me?

Water fallby Skip Moen, D. Phil.
I will rejoice and be glad in Your loving kindness, because You have seen my affliction; You have known the troubles of my soul.” Psalm 31:7 (NASB)
Known “Omniscience“. Oh, it’s a great doctrine. God knows everything that can be known.  It’s a significant statement about the scope of His observation and understanding. But it’s kind of sterile.  It’s one of those big ideas that lends itself to debates like, “If God already knows what I am going to do tomorrow, can it really be my free choice“?”  I wonder if David ever concerned himself with such cognitive issues.  David’s approach is far more personal.  God knows the troubles of my soul.  When it comes to my relationship with the Lord, this might be all I really need.
The verb is quite familiar.  Yada covers the widest range of knowing in Hebrew, from knowing the facts about the enemy army to knowing the sexual intimacy of marriage.  It’s worth reflecting on this range.  We have many distinct verbal expressions for different kinds of knowledge.  We categorize our information.  There’s a box for facts, a box for opinions, a box for theories, a box for observations, a box for involvements, etc.  Nice, neat compartments where we can “know” the right thing in one area but never let it touch the things we feel or observe in another area.  But yada reminds us that everything is connected.  It isn’t possible to “know” something and keep it neatly separated from the actions that make up who we are.  If God knows the troubles of my soul, certain implications about this fact must follow.
God knows the distress I encounter, the adversities I face, the troubles life hands me and the vexations that plague me.  God knows these things.  That does not simply mean He observes them as facts. Yada-ata.  He knows them.  He experiences my troubles.
Think about this.  When I weep, is God weeping with me?  When I rejoice, does He dance?  When I shake with fear, is He there beside me?  When I battle with decisions, does He fight for the right?  Yada says “Yes.”  The full range of relationship dynamics is known to Him.  He is not the God of disengaged research or the moral policeman.  He is as close as my breath, my sight, my thoughts and my sighs.  He is the God in my need.
Would it make a difference in our struggles for righteousness if we contemplated the God of yada?  Would we feel His comfort, His guidance or His warning just a little more intensely if we engaged the Hebrew umbrella of knowing.  David worships a God who is intimately involved in life.  He doesn’t sit on His throne in Zion waiting for quarterly reports on our progress.  He sits by our side, asking us to lean on Him.  He is the ‘ezer’, the benefactor who comes to our aid in times of need.

Soar Like an Eagle

Soar Like an Eagle


Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They  will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.Isaiah 40:31
Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed by life’s problems? You want to soar above them but you feel yourself being sucked under. During one such time, a chaplain’s true story gave me hope.
“A friend and I were paddling down a river. To one side, high on a cliff, sat a bald eagle, its white head feathers glistening in the sun. As we watched, it soared into the blue sky, then swooped into the water, thrusting its strong talons into a big fish.
But then, the eagle got caught in the rushing current. Up and down it went with its beak firmly in the fish. Then both fish and eagle were sucked under the water. Why doesn’t he let go of the fish, I thought why does he insist on keeping it?
We were startled by a commotion downstream. “The eagle,” I shouted “It’s come up again.”
Sure enough, the majestic bird had broken free of the fish and the deadly torrent and headed for the surrounding rocks.  For a moment the bird rested in the sun preening its soggy feathers. Then it spread its enormous wings and rose above the tree tops into the sky.
Aren’t we like that?” the chaplain asked. “At times we feel sucked down into life’s raging torrents. Is there something that’s dragging you down? Like the eagle who wouldn’t let go of the fish, are you  hanging onto a weight of resentment or bitterness or unrealistic expectations of what life should be like? Release it. It’s a weight that will drag you down into despair. Let the spirit of the Risen Christ buoy you up and give you strength to rise above your circumstances.
You are not meant to be tumbling in the undertow; you are meant to soar. Because Christ lives in you, you can live triumphantly.”
Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is an offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” (Psalm 139:23,24).

Approachable

Approachable


A new command I give you: Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
You need to be easy to talk to, friendly, and a good listener.
They are great qualities to draw someone to Christ!
JoAnna Ward has these qualities.  And, she’s bold about her faith.
She drives a big Hummer with a license plate that reads OBEY GOD.
She ministers to people on the streets of Atlanta.  JoAnna shares God’s love wherever she is.
While she was exercising at a local gym, a woman approached her.
The woman wanted to leave her current lifestyle and knew JoAnna was a Christian.
It didn’t happen instantly, but as JoAnna ministered in her life,
the woman received Christ into her heart through prayer.
The woman’s lifestyle changed.  Now she, in turn, ministers to others.
Friend, be friendly – and listen.  God will use you to reach others for Christ!

What Do I Do With This, God?

What Do I Do With This, God?

BJon Walkery
We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed; perplexed, but not in despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed.”
2 Corinthians 4:8–9 (NIV)
When we confess our belief in Jesus as the Holy One of God, we often assume our lives will become easier. It doesn’t help that many people with good intentions teach this as biblical truth.
Certainly Jesus taught that his yoke is easy (Matthew 11:30), and the apostle Paul spoke about the Sabbath rest of God (Hebrews 4:9), but both these examples teach the need to develop a deep trust in God and not that following Jesus is easy. We’re to step into the will of God and stay there, trusting he has our best interests at heart (Jeremiah 29:11, Romans 8:28).
With God’s Spirit working in us and through us, we can get through what we’re going through. The apostle Paul says this is the very time we can learn to trust Jesus: “Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am” (Philippians 4:13 MSG).
If we want to make a significant contribution to the Kingdom of God, we cannot sidestep the difficult seasons of life. Like Paul, we can watch God keep us from being crushed when we’re under pressure, give us hope when things don’t make any sense, reveal his presence when we are rejected, and pick us back up when we’re knocked senseless to the ground (2 Corinthians 4:8–9).
Getting through what you’re going through requires a shift. Instead of asking, “Why me?” ask, “What do I do with this, God?”
Thoughts:
- Why wouldn’t God take away all our problems when we commit our lives to Jesus?
-  What do you think God would do if you prayed, “Lord, help my unbelief?”
- Where are you saying “Why me?” in your life? What do you think will happen if you ask instead, “What do I do with this, God?”

Finding Hope in Unexpected Places

Finding Hope in Unexpected Places
Suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.”  Romans 5:3-4
When I first read the verse above, I wondered if my Bible had a typo. Wasn’t hope supposed to be at the beginning of the list? That’s certainly where I wanted it to be.
I didn’t like the idea of going through suffering, perseverance, and character to get to hope.
My thoughts reflect our culture today. We view hope as an emotion rather than an outcome of choices we make. We also think hope should be automatic. Then when we don’t find it right away, we despair. But this passage makes it clear that hope is a process.
The first step in that process is suffering. Loss is a part of life. We’ll all endure hardship and heartache on this side of heaven. When we suffer, we have two choices: press on or give up. Jim Rohn once said, “We all must suffer from one of two pains: the pain of discipline or the pain of regret.”
If we choose discipline and perseverance, then this pattern gradually becomes part of who we are—our character. Character doesn’t change based on circumstances or who is watching at the moment. As Dwight L. Moody said, “Character is what you are in the dark.
Character also becomes a light in the dark because it eventually results in hope. This kind of hope is not a vague feeling or wish. Instead it’s a deep knowledge that you and God can get through anything together. That’s the heart of hope: choosing to walk with God through the valleys of life and finding that He will never leave you–and that you will never leave Him either.
We all wonder how our faith will fare when challenges come our way. If you’re still reading this, my guess is you’re choosing perseverance and character. You’ve faced what you never wanted, and your faith is surviving, perhaps even thriving. Even if you have doubts, fears, and many difficult moments, you’re pressing on and moving forward. And I’m cheering you on with every step…no matter how small or slow.
Take heart,  you are doing better than you know. Jesus is with you. Your friends are for you. And hope is on its way.

The Deed of Doing

The Deed of Doing
As disciples we have been set apart to expend our time, talent and treasures on Christ’s message. “Whatever you do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks through Him to God the Father.” (Colossians 3:17)
The apostle Paul, speaking to the church in Corinth, gives us insight into how we should do this. (2 Corinthians 9:6-11).
The first thing he tells us is that we are to be generous. “whoever sows generously will also reap generously.” (v 6b) Being generous means showing a readiness to give more of something than is strictly necessary or expected.
Secondly he tells us to be intentional with what we do. “what you have decided in your heart to give,” (v 7a) A deed is an action that is performed intentionally of consciously.
The third thing is that we are to do it voluntarily, “not reluctantly or under compulsion.” (v 7b)
His fourth instruction is that we do it cheerfully, “for God loves a cheerful giver.”(v 7c)
And then he tells us why… that, abounding in His grace, we might be sufficiently supplied…  “God is able to make all grace abound to you, that always having all sufficiency in everything, you may have an abundance for every good deed.” (v8)
…for everything we do in furthering the Kingdom of God. “He who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will supply and multiply your seed for sowing and increase the harvest of your righteousness; you will be enriched in everything for all liberality, which through us is producing thanksgiving to God.” (vs 10,11)
As we do what we have been called to do, let’s do it generously, intentionally, freely and cheerfully.
My prayer for us this week:
Heavenly Father thank you for teaching us that if we sow sparingly we will also reap sparingly, and if we sow bountifully we will also reap bountifully. You tell us that we must do just as we have purposed in our heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for You love a cheerful giver. And You are able to make all grace abound to us, so that we will always have all sufficiency in everything, that we may have an abundance for every good deed. Amen.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-

In Spite of the Circumstances

In Spite of the Circumstances   


by Idelette McVicker
It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End.” Revelation 21:6 (NKJ)
Last week an eighty-something-year-old beautiful woman of God reminded me of one of the keys to living a Divinely inspired life: praising God in the midst of the most difficult, un-Kingdom-like circumstances.
At a time when she was feeling very stuck—hopeless even—she heard the whisper of God: “When you start praising Me, I will bring them in.”
What am I going to praise You for?” she thought. “Everything I see is a mess.
For who I am,” came the answer.
She started doing exactly that: praising God for who God is, not for the circumstances she saw all around her. She focused on the character and nature of God, not the fragments of relationships and human emotions scattered everywhere. She started singing in the midst of her trouble and one by one God began to pick up the pieces … God, our amazing, faithful God, proved true to the promise.
Prayer: Thank You, God, for who You are: faithful, loving, patient, great, kind, compassionate, just … I look to You today and I praise You for who You are. Amen.

God Our Shield

God Our Shield


by Katherine Kehler
But you are a shield around me, O LORD; you bestow glory on me and lift up my headPsalm 3:3
I have been thinking about God being our shield. The word “shield” also means to protect, guard, defend, shelter, and screen. God protects us from harm’s way, guards us from danger, defends us against accusations, shelters us when we are weak, and screens everything that comes our way. Nothing can touch us until it goes through God’s screening process first.
Many of us have had the scary experience of a rock hitting our windshield. The windshield protected us from being hurt. Our homes shelter us from the elements of nature — rain, snow, extreme heat, and cold. But there is no shelter, no protector, like God Himself. The verse Deuteronomy 33:27 is a wonderful comfort to me: “The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.
There may be times in your life when you feel like you have been hit by a ton of bricks. Believe it or not, that experience had to first go through God’s screening process. And His screening process is more accurate than that of any airport security system!
Painful experiences help us to trust God more. When our five-month-old grandson died of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, (S.I.D.’s), I felt like I couldn’t bare it. But several days after the funeral, God showed me the reason for taking our grandson home so early. I was reading 2 Corinthians 1, and suddenly the last part of verse 9 became alive to me. I read, “This happened that we might not rely on ourselves but on God . . .”    And yes, Spenser’s death did cause me to go to God for strength and comfort.
There are many verses in the Bible that refer to God as our shield. I encourage you to look them up and read them. Here are a few of my favorites.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart” (Psalm 91:4).
Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word” (Psalm 119:114).
For the LORD God is a sun and shield: the LORD will give grace and glory: no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly” (Psalm 84:11).
Father God, thank You for being a shield about us. Thank You for protecting us, sheltering us, defending us, and being a screen. You give grace and glory to each one of us and won’t withhold any good thing from us if we walk uprightly before You. We love You, Lord! Amen

Inner Strengthening

Inner Strengthening

That out of His glorious, unlimited resources He will give you the mighty inner strengthening of His Holy Spirit“  Ephesians 3:16
In Christ are all the attributes and characteristics promised to His children as the fruit of the Spirit. And the Holy Spirit was given to glorify Christ.
•    Do you need love?
The Lord Jesus Christ is the incarnation of love. Paul prays that our roots may “go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love; and may you be able to feel and understand, as all God’s children should, how long, how wide, how deep and how high His love really is; and to experience this love for yourselves (though it is so great that you will never see the end of it, or fully know or understand it“) (Ephesians 3:17-19).
•    Do you need peace?
Christ is the “Prince of Peace.” “I am leaving you with a gift,” said Jesus, “peace of mind and heart! And the peace I give isn’t fragile like the peace the world gives” (John 14:27).
•    Do you need joy?
Christ is joy.
•    Do you need patience?
Christ is patience.
•    Do you need wisdom?
Christ is wisdom.
•    Are you in need of material possessions so that you can better serve Christ?
They are available in Him, for God owns “the cattle on a thousand hills,” and He promised to supply all our needs (Philippians 4:19).
All that we need is to be found in Christ and nowhere else. The supernatural life is Christ, for in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily.
Bible Reading: Ephesians 3:17-21
Today’s Action Point:  Knowing that God’s unlimited resources make possible the mighty inner strengthening in my life, I shall focus my attention upon Him through reading His inspired Word and obeying His commands.

Unfailing Love


Unfailing Love

Sunsetby Rev. Daniel Forster
But I trust in your unfailing love. I will rejoice because you have rescued me. I will sing to the LORD because he is good to me.” Psalm 13:5-6 (NLT)
It is human nature to doubt God’s unfailing Love. Love in its natural form is not unfailing, but quite fallible. We are often let down by the love of others and left with scars. Therefore, we can think of the love of God along the same lines, expecting that His Love will at some point fail us, as others have failed us.
This line of thinking, however, is far from the truth. His love is not only unfailing, it is forever faithful. Our actions, sins, and poor choices will never change the love God has for us. What greater Love is there than this—that the Creator of life itself would sacrifice Himself for His creation? It is the actions of God that declare His Love for us, not ours. His love is based on His character, not ours. He has paid way more than we could ever pay for our debt of sins. He sacrificed his own life in our place.
It is this demonstration of unfailing love that enables us to overcome our own dysfunctional view of love and be transformed, so we can love like He does, even forgiving those who do not love us in return. Because of His love, we sing along with David: “The Lord is good to me.”
Lord, we thank You and praise You for the unconditional Love You have shown us and continue to shower us with. Help us Lord to truly see this love and to allow it to transform our lives. Help us love others as You have Loved us, so they may see and know You. Amen.
Thought: What is holding you back from trusting completely in God’s love? If any doubts or scars come to mind, bring those to God in prayer and ask for help to grow in trust. Take time to reflect on His love today.

Following Jesus

Following Jesus

God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but have eternal life.” John 3:16 (NCV)
Father in Heaven,
I need You in my life. Forgive me for going my own way without acknowledging You. Thank you that You sent Jesus to die for my sins. Thank you that You forgive me. Cleanse my heart and come into my life today. Please help me to grasp Your ways so I can walk securely in them even in insecure places. I need Your perspective in my life.
Guide me in Your truth, Lord God. Help me to make time to read my Bible. Thank you that Your Word will guide me as a beacon and a light.
You are my Savior, my Rescuer and my Redeemer. Thank you that it is You alone who restores and renews my spirit and brings meaning to my life.
Today I put my trust in You. Thank you that You will give me the hope and help and peace I need in my journey through life. Thank you that You are my Savior.
In Jesus’ strong name I pray, amen.