Trials Are Blessings in Disguise

Read: Luke 22: 31-32

"Because of my chains, most of the brothers in the Lord have been encouraged to speak the word of God more courageously and fearlessly." - Philippians 1:14

So often we view negative issues in our life as obstacles, when they are actually designed by God as blessings in disguise. When people come to Christ they believe that life will now turn into a sweet scented rose garden. Well, it does…but they are forgetting about the thorns! Jesus warned us that as long as we live in this world, we will experience troubles and dangers (John 16:33). However, He did not leave us alone or hopelessly lost in depression. He also stated, "But be of good cheer! I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). He won the war, so that we can enjoy the victory.

Just look at some of the Biblical characters as examples. Every one of them had trials and tribulation. Job wins the prize for the most persecuted man in history. However, many people overlook the fact that in the last half of Job’s life, God blessed him with increased wealth, family and goods that exceeded what he lost during his trials.

Paul was beaten, jailed, hunted, stoned, shipwrecked and lost at sea (2 Corinthians 11:24-25). Paul endured his troubles by changing his focus from his miserable conditions to God’s promises (Romans 8:18). He was so blessed by doing this that he actually sang in jail! Paul’s life shows us that God uses our attitude during our trials as examples and an encouragement to others who suffer in this life (Philippians 1:14).

Jesus told Peter this same thing, when Satan wanted to sift him like wheat (Luke 22: 31-32). You probably know people whose lives are a testimony to the power of God in spite of their circumstances. Their faith in and love for God barely waiver in the face of debilitating difficulties.

Joseph’s brothers sold him into slavery to get rid of him; but God used their malevolent behavior to bring Him glory, to bless Joseph’s family and for Joseph’s good. The Lord was with Joseph and gave him success in whatever he did all throughout his life (Genesis 39).

Some people mistakenly believe that God promises never to give us more trials than we can bear. They quote 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 when they say this. But if you actually look at the words in these verses, the word is temptations, not trials. God will not allow us to be tempted beyond what we can bear.

God does promise, however, never to give us more trials than HE can bear (John 16:33). So, do not be discouraged when you encounter difficulties. Life is full of them. We are either in a trial, just finished with one or are about to go into one. When we pray, God removes some of our trials like mountains crumbling into the sea. However, God uses other complications to test our faith, to strengthen us for future trials or to prove that His grace is sufficient for us (2 Corinthians 12:9).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, thank You for using our trials to make us stronger, to increase our faith and to draw us closer to You. Shine Your light through our life. This way people will glorify You, when they see us trust in You with a positive attitude and Godly behavior in spite of our unbearable circumstances (Matthew 5:16).

Thought for the Day:

View your trials as opportunities to bring glory to God.

A Word Fitly Spoken

Read: Ephesians 4:21-32

“Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ.” - Ephesians 4: 15

At the risk of sounding like a schizophrenic, if you ever held a conversation with your “self,” you know that as humans, we possess more than one identity within our soul. Many doctors, knowledgeable about the mind, call these inner ego states: the Inner Parent, Inner Adult and Inner Child. I agree with them, and with the Psalmist when he refers to his soul as a weaned child (Psalm 131:2).

At conversion, I persuaded my “Inner Child” to no longer use profanity to express my feelings. God taught me to articulate them with rational words rather than to curse at the person hurting my feelings. However, even after I eliminated profanity from my vocabulary, I still exploded in anger when someone’s words or behavior caused a fearful or insecure reaction in my soul. I used excessive anger to protect my “Inner Child” from perceived injustices. My anger struck hot and quickly like a volcano, and I left just as many deep scars behind in my wake.

In times like these, God recommends that we are quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger (James 1:19). Anger is actually a God-given emotion to use to protect us from injury, not to inflict injury. He allows us to feel the anger as a "red" flag, so that we know that something is wrong. Then, He cautions us to be slow to express it, and to guard against crossing over into sinful behavior with this possibly volatile emotion (Ephesians 4:26).

Anger allows other people to understand that what they just did or said is not acceptable to us. People will behave toward us in the way in which we teach them to treat us. If we allow others to abuse us either verbally or mentally or physically, we are inviting more of that same behavior in the future. Over the last two decades, I developed a habit of using premeditated wording to express my feelings, rather than to use hasty words to verbally attack the offending party.

I am learning to stand up for myself without hiding behind fierce anger and coarse words (Ephesians 5:4). Now I can say, “I feel afraid when you …;” or “I feel like you spend more time with …. than with me, and I need more of your attention;” or “Thank you for your opinion, but I do not agree with you;” or “I will not allow you to do that (or say that) to/about me anymore;” or “I think that you misunderstood the meaning behind my words/actions. Let me further explain to you how I feel (or why I took that action).”

In the face of confrontation, we still make it known in no uncertain terms that the offensive behavior is no longer acceptable to us; however, we respond with a confident, businesslike and resolute attitude. Even in the face of a verbal onslaught, we can state our feelings more clearly with firm, calm words than we can with angry, irrational ones. My husband and I use a notebook to write out our feelings to one another. This way we do not speak off the top of our head and potentially hurt one another more deeply.

God encourages us to live at peace with everyone (Romans 12:18). We cannot ever control another person’s actions or responses towards us, but we can put distance between an abusive person and us. We do not need to overreact and divorce the person, but we can separate and work on reconciliation between us through counseling and calm discussions.

Even with all of our precautions, some people still may not accept what we say, and they may never change their behavior towards us. It is better to steer a wide path around such people who tend to abuse us, rather than to constantly put our self in harm’s way. When we take a step back and look at their actions from a spiritual frame of mind, we can pray for them and also about our response to them, by speaking firmly but kindly in the face of any imposition or attack against us.

I also take my hurt feelings to the Lord. He helps me to forgive the offender and to bless them (Proverbs 25:22), whether they respond positively or not. How they feel about me or what they think of me has no bearing on who I am or on my relationship with my Lord and Savior. In reality, His opinion of me is the only one that really matters.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, help me to put away slander, malice, coarse words and explosive anger. Remind me to use positive words to communicate how I feel and how I want to be treated. Let me kindly tell the truth in love, even when it hurts.

Thought for the Day ~  “A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver.” Proverbs 25:11

Loving Mercy

Read: Deuteronomy 5: 7-10

“He has shown you, O man, what is good; and what does the LORD require of you But to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?” Micah 6:8 NKJV

None of us are, nor will we ever be, worthy of God’s love; and that’s the Good News! We can do nothing to earn His love and nothing to lose it. It’s a free gift! Tender mercy is the aspect of God's love that causes Him to help us when we break His law or are drowning in our circumstances. Mercy triumphs over the deserved retribution for our behavior, which condemns us to hell.

God’s great mercy saved us and allows us to approach His throne boldly to find grace in our time of need. We have every reason to trust in God’s mercy, which surrounds us and follows us all the days of our lives. He makes our paths full of mercy, so that we can rejoice and sing praises to His name. God’s abundant mercy is just a call away and comes in spite of the fact that we do not deserve it and never, EVER will!

Prayer ~ Lord, if my foot slips, Your mercy will hold me up. Multiply to us Your mercy, peace, and love.

Thought for the Day ~ God takes pleasure in those who hope in His mercy.

Seasons of Life

Read: Ps 27:4-5

“…There is a friend who sticks closer than a brother.” - Prov 18:24

Jesus Christ revealed Himself to me during a meeting of the Baptist Student Union on the campus of our local college when I was 18 years old. I loved to spend time with Him in prayer, studying His Word and attending Bible studies and worship services. Each week, I filled my days with more and more of Him. Then, I got married and three weeks later conceived my first son, Michael. After nine months of morning sickness, and nine more months of sleepless nights, I conceived my second child, my daughter Julia. Eighteen months later, I repeated the process for my third child and second son, Daniel.

I love being a mommy. I enjoyed playing with my children. I filled each day with teaching them their alphabet, shapes and colors, as well as to recognize the world all around them. They were a blank slate, ready for me to introduce them to life. I wrote songs for them and taught them praise songs, as I serenaded them with my guitar. Each day was filled with new adventures and new learning experiences. However, as they each went off to school, one right after the other, I am the one who cried. I felt at lose ends. I had no purpose or direction for my time. So, I cried out to God for guidance.

I felt led to take a notebook and to sit quietly in the middle of our king-sized bed. I started writing whatever came to my mind…grocery lists, to do lists, reminder lists, lists of people I needed to forgive, and lists of those of whom I needed to ask forgiveness. The various lists went on and on without end. Hour after hour, I sat with no radio, no books, no Bible, no phone, no food, no guitar, and no finger nail polish!!!  I just sat and wrote, emptying everything in my mind out on the pages of my journal. I did this for days on end, until I finally realized that there was nothing left, except me and God.

Through this experience, God showed me that when we allow the pressures and distractions of life to monopolize our attention, we run at full speed all day and then fall into an exhausted sleep each night, without ever spending quality time with our Father. Then, the next day our mind refills with clutter and complications and we get pulled in too many directions at once. We lack depth in our thoughts and actions. God’s voice cannot compete with our preoccupations nor can it penetrate our awareness, because the clutter is too overpowering and we are not listening for His voice. Only as we deliberately enter the recesses within our soul and conquer our cluttered thoughts, can we ever hope to obtain a deeper intimacy with Him (Ephesians 3:16-19). 

Over the years, as I aged and my children started having children, my leisure time increased. I no longer scurry around behind the patter of little feet, but I spend more time sitting at Jesus’ feet. I have more time to stay in tune to His replies, since I no longer race around in tune to children’s cries. I still serve as a pastor’s wife with all the responsibilities accompanying that title, but I reserve my personal time for Him alone. My hearing of His directives improves as I sit quietly and praise Him as the great “I am.” Then I follow His will as I pray for specific people, care for my husband and home, visit someone in need, or mentor another lost soul.

A fulfilled Christian life comes only under the guidance of the Spirit of God. Achieving this status takes time, effort and commitment. He truly is a friend that sticks closer than a brother, a refuge in the storm, and our comforter and guide. I would not exchange one day of my lifetime of moments with our Savior and Lord. He never leaves me and never forsakes me. He is all I need, want or seek after.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, never let us fail to hear Your voice as we wait on You. Obtain our undivided attention. Help us to simplify our life by getting rid of the inner clutter first, and then by ridding our home and office of everything that is unnecessary. Help us to abide in the Vine, and to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us moment-by-moment throughout the day and night. 

Thought For The Day:

Only thoughts and actions, which are totally Spirit-led, will bear any fruit for the kingdom of God.

To Judge or Not To Judge

Read: Job 34:5-11

"Brothers, if someone is overtaken by a fault, you who are spiritual should restore him gently" (Gal 6:1).

A person reprimanded me the other day for daring to say that I thought it was good to point out our blind spots to one another. He inferred that pointing out blind spots requires a judgment, and that we should leave that to the Lord. He implied that it is God’s duty to point out blind spots, because that was the most effective way to bring about change in someone’s life.

If this was true, then we would have no doctors or counselors in this world, and no teachers or overseers in the Body of Christ (Hebrews 13:17). There would be no older women teaching the younger (Titus 2:4). There would be no teaching and admonishing one another (Colossians 3:16). We would leave all the healing and instructing for God to do.

Many people quote the verse, “Judge not, lest you be judged (Matthew 7:1).” If they would continue reading, they would find, “For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Let me take the speck out of your eye,' when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.”

These verses actually encourage us to correct one another. They tell us to “remove the speck from our brother's eye.” If you ever had a speck in your eye, you know how good it feels and how grateful you are when someone removes it for you. But first, these verses caution us to clean up our own act, before we start giving advice to other people. They also warn us that we will be judged by the same standards by which we judge others. This reminds me of what President Harry S. Truman gave as a warning, “If you can’t take the heat, stay out of the kitchen!” In this case, if you can't take advice, don’t give it; if you can’t handle correction, don’t provide it.

‎In Job 34:4 Elihu said, "Let us discern for ourselves what is right; let us learn together what is good." I love to learn together what is true and right and pleasing to the Lord. I feel so blessed when someone “mothers” me, even when they “smother” me with words of instruction and correction. I usually respond with a sarcastic, “Yes, Mother!” Then, I always encourage them to keep it up, because I know they only speak to me like this because they genuinely care about me.

In Galations 6:1, Paul encourages us to point out our blind spots to one another, "Brothers, if someone is overtaken by a fault, you who are spiritual should restore him gently." That word “gently” is very important. Rather than beating people over the head with the Bible, we can ask them what their motivation is for their behavior, then instruct them using scriptural advice.

Sometimes, people misinterpret our words or actions and they falsely assume we have a faulty motivation for it. I do not mind someone pointing out my faults, but I despise being falsely accused. I already do so many things wrong that to be accused of what I did not do, only discourages me beyond hope! In Job 34:5-11, Job says the same thing. He points out that he is innocent, but he gets no justice. He tells the truth, but he is considered a liar. He informs us that the feeling of contempt for him among his family, friends and neighbors is as plentiful as water. Did you ever feel this way? Eternity will tell the whole truth about our life, unvarnished by what anyone else thinks about us.

In John 8:15-16, Jesus said that human beings judge by human standards. He made it clear that He passes judgment on no one; but if He does judge, His decisions are right, because He stands with the Father who sent Him. That is why it is so important for us to judge with righteous judgment, once our heart is pure and as tender as softened butter. God calls us to discern according to Biblical principles rather than to pass judgment according to our own prejudices or opinions.

Jesus says, “Who are you to judge someone else's servant? To his own master he stands or falls. And he will stand, for the Lord is able to make him stand.” He gives us an example here of how we should correct each other, by helping our brothers and sisters to stand in righteousness. Judging with derision and contempt, correcting with condescension and pride, or rejecting someone due to their choices in life is certainly wrong. On the other hand, discerning a fault and correcting, admonishing and encouraging one another is a noble effort. Timothy is another Biblical author that encourages us to correct one another. He simply advises us to use great patience and careful instruction with love when we do so (2 Timothy 4: 2).

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, Job concludes his speech in Job 34:5-11 by saying that You are our judge. You repay a man for what he has done and You bring upon us what our conduct deserves (Lamentations 3:39). We do not need to be concerned about another person’s opinion of us. You have mercy on whom You will have mercy, and compassion on whom You will have compassion (Exodus 33:19). I am so glad that we can rely on your grace, and that Your love covers a multitude of our sins (1 Peter 4:8).

Thought for the Day:

“Those who mind, don't matter; and those who matter, don't mind.” - Dr. Seuss

Healing Us Completely

Read: Matthew 11: 28-30

“The Lord will guide you continually, and satisfy your soul in drought, and strengthen your bones; you shall be like a well watered garden, and like a spring of water, whose waters do not fail.”  - Isaiah 58:11

The apostle Paul wrote a prayer for the church in Thessalonica asking for the God of Peace to sanctify them entirely and to preserve their SPIRIT, SOUL and BODY completely and without blame (1Thessalonians 5:13). The power of redemption is provided to not only sanctify our spirit, but also our soul and our body.

In the Hebrew Bible the term “soul” is nephesh. It is used 756 times. This word can refer to “life” (Genesis 1:30), or simply to the “person” (Deuteronomy 10:22). The soul is identified as the mind, will and emotions of man. It is the center of our feelings, desires and affections, which influence all of our choices and our actions.

Health specialists assert that those who have mental and emotional problems fill more hospitals beds than all the physical and surgical ailments combined. Psychosomatic illnesses, such as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, are cause by emotional wounds that pierce our soul. It happens when we cannot face the reality of our life here on earth, such as after traumatic events. PTSD occurs not only in the lives of soldiers, but also in anyone who suffers abuse of any kind. This trauma affects the connectors in our brain, as well as the very cells of our body. It also causes damage that goes deep into our soul.

Job experienced this trauma throughout the trials with which Satan plagued him. He felt like he teetered on the edge of a deep dark abyss. He prayed for his soul to be brought back from the pit, that he may be enlightened with the light of life (Job 33:30). The Lord wants to heal us in every facet of our spirit, body and soul; so that our fellowship with Him will remain unhindered by the corruption of our carnal nature (Hosea 14:4). The Lord yearns for the restoration of our soul, in order to return it to the place of harmonious communion with Him, which was lost when Adam and Eve sinned (Jeremiah 32:37).

A generous, daily application of God’s Word to our lives does wonders for “restoring” our soul’s stability, as it also strengthens our spirit at the same time (Psalm 23:3). The inner healing we receive from an intimate relationship with God also eliminates the need for illegal pills, tobacco, alcohol, pornography, compulsive behavior, excessive financial spending, sex outside of marriage and all of the sins that kill both our body and our soul.

Jesus promised rest to all those that would come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30). The first step to receiving this eternal rest is through salvation, which embarks us on a life long journey with the God of the Universe as our best friend. Our spirit, which was dead in trespasses and sins (Ephesians 2:1), is Born Again. The second step comes when He restores our soul as we read His Holy Word. In modern society, we are so blessed that God gave us not only the Old Testament, but also the entire Bible to enjoy (Psalm 19:7). The third step comes when the peace and joy of God floods our soul through our daily communion with Him in prayer, which heals us of these wounds from the past. The final step comes as we walk in His ways and obey His precepts.

Prayer:
Lord Jesus, Psalm 23 describes us at the end of our human life. The shepherd author praises You as our great Shepherd, who restores our soul (Psalm 23:3). Not only do you award us with complete healing as we enter through the door of death into Heaven, but You also heal us through every dark valley we ever experience during our lifetime on this troubled earth. We stand in awe of You, and we sing Your praises now and throughout eternity.

Thought for the Day:
Make an appointment with our Great Physician, resolve to take His prescribed therapy, and watch your body, soul and spirit prosper (3 John 1:2).

Living Lives of Grace

Read: Romans 5:17-21

“I am the LORD who sanctifies you.” – Exodus 31:13b (NKJV)

Adam brought condemnation on all of mankind when he disobeyed God’s only commandment for him. Consequently, this sin nature is passed down to every baby born throughout the centuries of time. God relinquished His only Son, Jesus, to give His life for the forgiveness of all sin and to restore our fellowship with Him.

Sin, of any kind, results in death (Romans 6:23). Even the smallest white lie bears negative consequences in our life. Though we do not deserve this love, Christ’s sacrifice demonstrates to the world the true definition of God's grace (Romans 5:8). This grace comes to us with conviction for repentance and reigns through righteousness to produce eternal life in us.

The concept of grace is hard to communicate to people through words. Therefore, we can show them by our loving actions toward them that God does not condemn the world, but desires that all men might be saved (John 3:17). Grace grants us an intimate relationship with Christ that begins at salvation, continues through a lifetime of sanctification and ends in our glorification when we see Jesus Christ face-to-face (1John 3:2). Though we often hurtle headlong into sin because of our freedom to choose, amazing grace convicts us to repent and to surrender to God’s will. Living lives of grace toward our self and others makes a huge difference in our world.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, be with us through every step of our journey in life. Keep us on Your path for us and help us to convey your grace to others by living as an example of your unconditional love.

Thought for the Day:

God's love covers our all of our sins and His grace gives us strength to do better the next time.