Today’s devotion is the third of a 10-part devotional series titled: “10 Concerns in the Christians Walk with God”
Conquer an Overwhelming Fear (II Timothy 1:7) We sometimes get tired and lose our enthusiasm for serving the Lord because we face opposition. Sometimes we feel intimidated or helpless, which the Word of God calls the spirit of fear. One of Satan’s most effective weapon in quenching our spiritual flame is fear. Paul told Timothy in II Timothy 1:7, For God hath not given us the spirit of fear;…. The Lord tells Paul to fight fear with His promises. He promises to be with him, to protect him, and to use him to bring people into the kingdom. Now Paul is directing Timothy to the same source of hope. He says broadly, be disciplined, be diligent, be brave, for God is with you. Who has not experienced fear in ministry? If you have ever done street evangelism, perhaps you know this feeling. If you have ever been a part of a church plant, you understand the fear of the unknowns. If you have ever been in a tense meeting where people oppose you, even gang up on you, perhaps you have experienced timidity. Remember: fight fear with the promises of God. The Spirit of God empowering the people of God is enough to accomplish the mission of God. We can all relate to experiencing fear in one form or another. It’s a natural emotion just like grief or anger. You don’t ever coach yourself, “I think I need to feel afraid.” You don’t have to plan it—fear just happens. We have nothing to fear—and yet we do fear. We need an answer for our worries. What do you fear as you’re going through a storm? It may not be the storm itself, but what’s coming afterward. Or someone who's just been diagnosed with a chronic illness—it’s not the news today, it’s tomorrow and next week. The worry of, ”What will happen to me? Will I be okay?” The unknown results and outcomes may drive your fears. But there is an alternative. In the midst of the storm, you do not have to fear the future. God is with you. Nothing comes into your life but what Almighty God allows. Nothing comes into your life that God doesn’t already know about. And since He is with you, you don’t have to fear. Too many Christians want the benefit of claiming “God is with me,” but spend too little time talking to the God who is with them. Can fear be avoided entirely? Probably not. But Scripture gives us an alternative plan that prepares for and responds to fear. Psalm 56:3, “What time I am afraid, I will trust in thee.” While serving the Lord in the hostile jungles of Africa in 1856, hostile savages encompassed David Livingston. For the first time in his life, he was tempted to retreat. He wrote in his journal: "January 14, 1856. Felt much turmoil of spirit in prospect of having all my plans for the welfare of this great region and this teeming population knocked on the head by savages tomorrow. But I read that Jesus said: 'All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth. Go ye therefore and teach all nations, and lo I Am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.' I will not cross furtively tonight as I intended. Should such a man as I flee? Nay verily, I shall take observations for latitude and longitude tonight though they be the last. I feel quite calm now, thank God." God's Word gives us hope when we find ourselves overtaken by fear. Instead of wallowing in it, we can put our trust in Him. We can deliberately turn away from fear and toward the Lord. This affirmation is also found in Isaiah 12:2, “…I will trust, and not be afraid...” If you have fear, remember, you didn't get your fear from God. The word fear means to be "fearful or timid." It is a fear that is produced by a lack of confidence. It is a fear that produced by lack of faith. Many times in the Word of God we see that fear and faithlessness go together. When Jesus dealt with the disciples over their fear of the storm, He asked them Why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith? (Mark 4:40) Fear is produced by a lack of confidence in the Lord. The disciples' biggest problem wasn't the storm, it was their lack of faith. Why wait for fears to come before you decide to trust God? Practice trusting Him as a daily exercise—spend time in His Word and in prayer. When you do, you may not even notice how many fears you’ll simply pass by, because your attention will be on the One who is not threatened by anything. Are you unstable in your Christian life because of an overwhelming fear? Are you spiritually defeated or broken? Are you stalled or hindered due to lack of faith? If so, the cause of your problem can lead to the cure. Put your confidence in Christ and decide that you will call upon the Lord regularly. God wants us to trust Him with our lives. You can turn your cares into prayer. Anything worth worrying about is worth praying about.
Prayer, Father, You are with me, so I never face my fears alone. And You are for me, so who can stand against me? You gave Your own Son for me, and You will graciously give me all I need. When I fear, help me to cling to Your promise that You will never leave me nor forsake me. Help me to speak and live fearlessly because You are with me. I am never alone. You are with me. I commit this truth to my heart right now. May this simple, profound truth sustain me today. In the power of Your name, Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com
0 Comments
Compassion…the Christian’s Duty (Jude 22)
Jude 22, And of some have compassion, making a difference: Compassion gets involved with others. People struggle today to get involved with other people. If people have any kind of relationship with one another, for many it is through their phones or I-pads instead of having eye contact with people. We are becoming more isolated from others. A few years ago, Snoopy, the beagle in the Charlie Brown cartoons, had his left leg broken. Hundreds wrote letters to Snoopy or sent sympathy cards. Perched on top of his dog house one day and staring at his huge cast, Snoopy began to philosophize about his plight. "My body blames my foot for not being able to go places. My foot says it was my head's fault, and my head blames my eyes. My eyes say my feet are clumsy, and my right foot says not to blame him for what my left foot did." Snoopy looks out at his audience and confesses, "I don't say anything because I don't want to get involved." This attitude does not belong among God's people. We are to be concerned and involved in serving Jesus Christ. The watchword of society today is "privacy." This is true even of Christians. People want to be left alone or given their space. Commitments have become short term, even in marriage. We are adopting the unwritten regulation observed in elevators, "Absolutely no eye contact, talking, smiling, or relating without the written permission from the management." Our role model is becoming the Lone Ranger, mask and all. This kind of life of isolation is not what God intended for us who know Jesus Christ as Saviour. We are not to be turtles in a shell. We are to get involved in blessing others and reaching them for Christ. You won't do this in your shell. Involvement is a word of “ministry”. Webster says, "Involvement means to draw in as a participant, relate closely, to connect or include." We are to be involved with God, family, Christians, and reaching the lost for the Lord Jesus Christ. James 1:27, Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world. The word "visit" means more than going by a house and saying "Hello." This word has the idea of getting involved in the lives of others, providing for them, helping them out, and caring for them if they cannot care for themselves. It is a word of giving and sacrifice. It is important that we have a genuine concern for other people. When we do it will lead us to have compassion on them and desire God’s best for their life. This is not a natural reaction of the flesh, but it is a quality that needs to be manifested in our life if we are going to be all that God wants us to be. A person without compassion will embrace callousness and never be close to God. We need to have compassion like Jesus and have a genuine heart of love that desires to help other people. George Washington Carver said, “How far you go in life depends on your being tender with the young, compassionate with the aged, sympathetic with the striving and tolerant of the weak and strong. Because someday in your life you will have been all of these.” Prayer: Lord, I desire so much to be compassionate. Use me as a vessel of compassion to a world in need. I want to be aware of those in need. Please let me see those around me that are in need of hope. Compel me to listen to them, to hear their needs. Let me be what others need, Lord. In Jesus name Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Confident Hope (Psalm 71:5)
Psalm 71:5, For thou art my hope, O LORD God: thou art my trust from my youth. Worry is a universal human experience. Our brains constantly provoke us to evaluate our circumstances and identify threats to our well-being. Threats are many, but even when they are minor, we exaggerate them or imagine threats that do not exist. We leave ourselves with restlessness, sleeplessness, loss of appetite, short tempers, and feelings of hopelessness. We are creatures of hope and need hope to live lest we lose the desire to live and just give up. It was in the psychology department of Duke University that a very enlightening experiment was conducted with laboratory rats. They wanted to see how long these rats could swim. Two containers were prepared with one container having a possible way of escape and the other having none. The rat in the container with no way of escape swam a few moments and then ducked his head into the water and drowned. The rat in the container with a possibility of escape, with hope, swam for several hours before drowning. The conclusion of their experiment was, "As long as there is hope, there is life." Hope is so important to us. When our hope is delayed, it is even painful to us. Hope, we talk about it and hear the word used frequently, but what does it mean? The American Heritage dictionary defined hope as: a wish for something with expectation; a desire accompanied with confident expectation; a happy anticipation of good. Normally we use the word hope to express something uncertain. Our salvation in Christ is called a hope, not because it is uncertain, but because we do not yet enjoy the fulness of it (Romans 8:24-25). Salvation in Jesus Christ is exactly the opposite of this. In reference to the Christian life, the Bible word hope means certain, sure, confident salvation. As believer’s we can be absolutely certain our sin has been forgiven and that we have eternal life. There is no hope apart from God. A person without Christ is a person with "no hope" (Ephesians 2:12). In spite of his troubles, the psalmist still found hope in God. If you can trust anyone, it is God. His Word is true and always reliable. The psalmist was not ashamed to freely admit that the Lord had been his hope and trust from his youth. He was advanced in years and still held that conviction. Hope is looking forward with anticipation. Trust is the confidence of the same. God desires the Christian to enjoy the comfort of knowing he is eternally safe in Jesus. Those who teach an uncertain salvation rob Christians of this priceless comfort. The true Christian cannot be robbed of his secure blessings in Christ, but he can be robbed of the comforting knowledge of these blessings in this life if not properly instructed. It is not God's will for the believer to be unsure about whether or not he possesses these things; rather it is His express will that we "abound in hope" (Romans 15:13). “Hope is the power of being cheerful in circumstances which we know to be desperate”. G.K. Chesterton Questions to Consider: · Are you developing a habit of trusting God in the difficult times of your life? · Or are you frequently filled with worry, doubt and fear? Points to Ponder: · If you have trouble trusting, concentrate on getting to know God. · Focus on what God has already done for you. PRAYER: Father, thank You for sending Your Son to be my hope. You knew that this world would never satisfy my longings, and so You sent Your precious Son to do that. Forgive me when I look to anything else for my hope, and thank You for the pain that reminds me when I have moved my hope into anything other than Christ. In Jesus’ name, Amen. If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Profits of Pleasing the Lord (Proverbs 16:7)
Proverbs 16:7, When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his enemies to be at peace with him. A pair of Canada geese set up housekeeping on an island in a farm pond in New Jersey. Year after year these two returned to raise their young. One summer, only one of seven eggs hatched, and the hatchling died the next day. The parents moped for days only to be faced with a new problem. From the woods by the lake another pair of Canadian geese emerged with eight brand-new babies. For some reason, this new pair had chosen the farm pond, and woefully, the island itself, as their brood site. As they arrived on the scene, they went straight to the island ready to do battle for the rights to the location. Of course, the residents fought hard to keep what they thought was their own territory, but they could not drive the newcomers away. As night approached, the resident pair still occupied the island, except for a corner where the new pair huddled with their young, having been granted sleeping privileges. The farmer and his wife went to bed that evening wondering what the outcome of the battle would be the next day. Imagine the farmer's surprise the next morning when he looked out on the lake and saw eight baby geese swimming peacefully with not one but two parents in the lead, and two bringing up the rear. By making peace, the adult geese had not only provided double protection for the goslings, but had also provided the resident pair with babies to care for to replace the ones they had lost. In the same manner as the geese, the Lord gives us insight on what we can do to get along with people, especially our enemies. He tells us to please the Lord by the way we live. When we honor God with our lives, when we love others, including our rivals, He will make our enemies to be at peace with us. People have tried such things as flattery or bribery to appease enemies, but have failed. A genuine Christian is the most lovable personality in human life. God has a way of raising up friends for those who serve Him and do His will. God however, can change the heart of an enemy when our ways please the Saviour. Though there are many enemies of the righteous, when our lives truly please the Lord, in due season, God will cause them to be at peace with us. God does not promise freedom from enemies. The world’s crowd never likes God’s people, but deep down in their heart, they respect those who are truly godly. Though they might persecute and mock the righteous, yet God will cause them, in due season, to respect His people. The greater principle is that God blesses the righteous. He takes care of them. Pleasing God produces peace. No effort of the United Nations can ever produce the peace that pleasing God does, yet how disinterested the nations of the world are to please the Almighty. During the Civil War, Stanton treated Lincoln with utter contempt. He called him a "low cunning clown" and "the original gorilla." He said there was no need to go to Africa to capture a gorilla when one was available in Springfield, Illinois. Lincoln, however, never retaliated. Instead, he made Stanton his war minister, believing that he was the best qualified for the office. Years later when Lincoln was killed by an assassin's bullet, Stanton looked down on his rugged face and said tearfully, "There lies the greatest ruler of men the world has ever seen." Even if our life doesn't please our enemies, we haven't lost anything. We are still pleasing God, the only One who truly matters. A righteous life disarms opposition. Albert Barnes put it this way, "Goodness has power to charm, and win, even enemies to itself." Our effort to live for God and be peacemakers will usually make us more attractive to those around us, even our enemies. They may not believe what we believe, but many of them acknowledge that we are standing for something that is good or we have something that is special. Our patience, wisdom, diligence, kindness, and love also make a big impression on those who oppose us. When we look at the lives of Joseph in Egypt, David in Gath, or Daniel in Babylon, we find that these dedicated men reaped peace with their enemies because their ways pleased the Lord. God knew what was in the hearts of these men and He knew they were determined to please Him. Peace is created when God’s ways become man’s ways. If God does allow some persecution by our enemies, it is for our good, (II Timothy 2:12) and for His glory (I Peter 4:14). God will deal with those who oppose His followers. Believers who focus on pleasing God in all of their ways can leave the fate of their enemies in the Lord’s hands. When a person strives to please the Lord, enemies find it more difficult to find fault with or to criticize him or her. One who is trying to uphold the great commandment to love others as oneself will be much more likely to win over an enemy than someone who is being rebellious or argumentative. It is the believer’s role to please the Lord, and it is God’s role to convert or convict the enemy. Questions to Consider:
Points to Ponder:
PRAYER: Father, my greatest desire is to please You in all things. Help me to resist pleasing the world rather than pleasing you. Help me to always stay close to You. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Keeping Our Prayer Lines Open (Isaiah 59:1-2)
Isaiah 59:1-2, Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear: your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. God pled with Judah to repent of their sinful living. With those conditions still in place, the prophet cried out, Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. The problem of unanswered prayer is not on God’s end. There is no weakness or shortcoming on His part. Sin dishonors God and makes Him look imperfect when it is not God being inadequate at all, but our sin that is the problem. Our sin sometimes makes God look weak when He is not weak at all. But our sin hinders God from working on our behalf. Rather, your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear. Sin separates us from God. When sin remains unconfessed and unrepented of in our hearts, God will not hear. Sin is the chief obstacle to answered prayer. They may be sins of commission. But for born-again Christians, often the sin is that of omission—failing to do as we ought. In either event, sin in our lives causes God to turn away His ear from our prayer. Prayer is a powerful privilege the Lord offers to us. Knowing this should encourage us to draw closer to Him. Prayer is a relationship with Him, not a list, a board meeting, or a method. Prayer causes the devil to tremble and he will do all that he can to convince you that prayer is pointless and powerless. Satan cannot keep God from answering your prayers so he will attempt to keep you from praying. Doubt will infect your prayer life. Satan loves to blame God for our problems when we are the blame ourselves. Unanswered prayer does not mean God is incapable of hearing or answering our prayers. It may be that our sin has blocked God from helping us. Let us not blame God for our troubles, but ourselves. God is all powerful and all loving and He desires to demonstrate His power and love in and through your life. Unfortunately, many people often live life on their own terms as if they expect God to do what they told Him to, when they told Him to do it. Too often God is treated like a genie in a bottle, or a spare tire, or even an ATM machine. May we grow in our relationship with the Lord and in confidence knowing that God is eager to answer our prayers. In fact, He does some of His greatest miracles in our lives in times when we are doubting or discouraged. PRAYER: Lord, I know there are times when You are not able to hear my prayers due to unconfessed sin. Show me and convict me when there is sin in my life so that my prayers can be heard and answered. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com A Living Sacrifice…A Loving Servant (Romans 12:1)
Romans 12:1, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. We are to be living sacrifices, not dead ones. If you are going to be totally devoted to the Lord, then you will need to surrender yourself to God and present your life as a living sacrifice to Him. God not only wants us to offer our body as a living sacrifice, He wants us to surrender our hearts or wills to Him. II Corinthians 8:5, And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God. The Macedonian brethren exceeded Paul’s hope. They gave first of their very selves to the Lord and His work. When our heart is right, the LORD will have all of us. This is the will of God for us. His will is for us to first give ourselves to Him and then to His work. Paul spoke of his struggle of this battle and the hope in Jesus Christ. Galatians 5:16-17, This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. Our heart is the battlefield of wills…our will vs. God's will. Neither attitude wants to surrender or be defeated. The Spirit of God summons us to follow His gentle leading. Our fleshly nature makes every effort to cause us to sin. The battle is intense every day. Proverbs 23:26, My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. Solomon pleaded for his son to give him his heart. Our heavenly Father asks the same of us. The invitation here is not to salvation, but to obedience and dedication. When we give our heart to Christ in day-to-day Christian living, we will avoid the pitfalls of sinful choices. A true disciple of Christ will pattern his life after the image of Christ. In 490 B.C. as Xerxes was advancing into Greece, he came to Thermopylae, a small pass in central Greece. Herodotus tells us that by the time he got there, he had six million troops on land and sea. Gathered there to stop the advance of the powerful Persian monarch was a mere handful of Greeks headed up by 300 Spartans, led by the Spartan king Leonidas. When Persian troops came to check the pass, they saw 300 warriors brushing their long hair and doing calisthenics and other such things. Back they went to their master to report that some fools with weapons were playing games in the ravine. Demaratus, a Greek physician and counselor to the Persian court, assured the king they weren't playing games, they were performing a death ritual. These men had come to die! Many an unmarried man had volunteered, but Leonidas insisted on taking with him men who had living sons. They never meant to come back! Love of Sparta motivated these men and it was the love for sinful mankind that moved the Lord Jesus Christ to come to this earth and die for our sins. The world may consider this foolish. They may consider the Gospel to be foolish. No matter what an ungodly world thinks, live for Christ. Missionary Jim Elliot, who died for the cause of Christ said, "He is no fool, who gives what he cannot keep, to gain, what he cannot lose." He and the other four missionaries were willing to give their all for the Lord Jesus because they were sold out to the Lord. They considered themselves already dead before they went to the Auca Indians with the Gospel. They had presented themselves as living sacrifices to Christ. If God doesn't have our hearts, He doesn't have us. When our will is broken and yielded to Him, He can guide us on the path that He has prepared for us. God wants us to willingly give our hearts to Him. Deuteronomy 6:5, And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. When we love God with all our heart, mind, souls, and strength, our focus is on Him. We’re not consumed with ourselves, we’re consumed with our great God. May He increase in each of our lives as we love Him more and ourselves less! PRAYER: LORD, You have been calling me to come closer to You. I present myself a living sacrifice for You to use however You choose. I want to live for You and serve You for the rest of my life. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post has blessed you in any way, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Is Your Heart Fixed? (Psalm 57:7)
Psalm 57:7, My heart is fixed, O God, my heart is fixed: I will sing and give praise. The heart of the psalmist is full of conviction. It is steadfast, firm, and strong. We will not praise God well if we are uncertain, doubtful, or weak. Our faith must have some firmness in it if we are to praise God. Allen Francis Gardiner grew up in a Christian home, took to the sea, and achieved a successful British naval career with little thought for God. In 1822, however, he fell ill and re-evaluated his wasted life. He scribbled in his journal, "After years of ingratitude, unbelief, blasphemy and rebellion, have I at last been melted? Alas, how slow, how reluctant I have been to admit the heavenly guest who stood knocking without!" Traveling around the world had given Captain Gardiner a glimpse of the need for missionaries, and he gave himself for the task. Surrendering to the Lord and leaving England for South America, he hoped to minister among the Araucanian (or Mapuche) Indians of Southern Chile. Government interference and intertribal fighting forced him back to England. Three years later he was at it again, visiting the Falklands and investigating the possibility of taking the gospel to the islands of Patagonia and Tierra del Fuego. Sensing opportunity at hand, Gardiner returned to England and on July 4, 1844, established a small organization called the Patagonian Missionary Society. He wrote, "I have made up my mind to go back to South America and leave no stone unturned, no effort untried, to establish a mission among the aboriginal tribes. While God gives me strength, failure will not daunt me." Allen kept trying to reach this region. He visited South America a third time, but his efforts were again hindered by intertribal fighting and governmental interference, the land being strongly Catholic, intolerant to Protestant missions. So he returned to England, recruited six missionaries, and set sail for Tierra del Fuego, but all seven men died of disease, starvation, and exposure on Picton Island. Gardiner, the last one to die, dated his final journal entry September 5, 1851, "Good and marvelous are the loving kindnesses of my gracious God unto me. He has preserved me hitherto and for four days, although without bodily food, without any feelings of hunger or thirst." Captain Allen Gardiner died without seeing a single soul saved among those for whom he was most burdened. Not one soul was saved, even though he kept trying and did not quit! Did he waste his life when he got right with God and went to the mission field? Did he waste his life away, dying on Picton Island in an effort to reach the lost for Christ? Was this man a flop or failure, even though he did the Lord's will? The answer is "No." Allen may have not seen one convert while he was alive, but he lit a fire which has never gone out. His South American Missionary Society (as it came to be called) has been sending missionaries and saving thousands of souls for over 175 years. Understand that Satan will endeavor to suppress your devotion. He will use discouragement, despondency, disillusionment, depression, defeat, dismay, disappointment, and the disdain of others to quench the flames of a burning heart for God. Jeremiah suffered from such discouragement and depression. Jeremiah 20:8-10, For since I spake, I cried out, I cried violence and spoil; because the word of the Lord was made a reproach unto me, and a derision, daily. Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay. For I heard the defaming of many, fear on every side. Report, say they, and we will report it. All my familiars watched for my halting, saying, Peradventure he will be enticed, and we shall prevail against him, and we shall take our revenge on him. Jeremiah overcame his discouragement through the power of God's Word working in his life. Jeremiah 23:29, Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? The LORD is seeking a heart that is fixed and committed to Him. There are so many lures and distractions in this world that Satan will use to get you sidetracked. It is essential that you make up your mind and stick with that decision. The psalmist made that decision, as well as the Apostle Paul. I Corinthians 15:58, Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord. Acts 20:24, But none of these things move me, neither count I my life dear unto myself, so that I might finish my course with joy, and the ministry, which I have received of the Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel of the grace of God. PRAYER: Heavenly Father, keep my heart fixed and steadfast with Your love. Help me never to grow cold or calloused towards You, Your Word, or others. In Jesus name, Amen. If this post has blessed you in any way, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Going Through Tough Times? (Romans 8:28-39)
Blessings sometimes come from a bad situation. It's often possible to make something better out of something bad. That's the way God works with us. We don't often do right the first time, but He's always ready to salvage the situation no matter how bad we make it. It is a truth of certainty for everyone who loves God. Pastor R.A. Torrey, "This verse is a soft pillow for a tired heart." All things…good or bad, sweet or bitter, victory or defeat, happy or sad, health or sickness, prosperity or poverty, calm or storm, comfort or suffering, life or death...all things work together for good. This doesn't mean that all that happens to us are good. Evil is prevalent in our world, but God is able to turn the bad around for our good and for His sovereign purpose in our lives. Some people do not know why bad things happen to good people. We know all things work together somehow, for good or our best. Bad events and circumstances work together for good. Notice the words of Paul. I. There is a Purpose for our Problems (Romans 8:28)Romans 8:28, And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Whatever happens, I can trust God, realizing He is using life's circumstances to conform me into Christlikeness. II. There is a Process for our Problems (Romans 8:29-30)Romans 8:29, For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Romans 8:30, Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified. III. There is a Promise Concerning our Problems (Romans 8:31-39) Romans 8:31, What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us? The fact that people are against me fades in light of the fact that He will furnish all that I need in life, including Christ Himself. Romans 8:32, He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things? Romans 8:33, Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Accusations against me are meaningless in view of the fact that Christ is in constant communication with the Father on my behalf. Romans 8:34, Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us. Romans 8:35-37, Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. I can rest in the assurance of Christ's love as He promises me complete victory in every situation. Romans 8:38-39, For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. No controlling factors in life can separate me from the love of God that is found in Christ Jesus. We also know that He could change our present circumstances if He willed. For them to remain means He has a purpose in our difficulties. There is a greater good to be realized beyond our immediate deliverance. Accept where you are and trust God to guide you from here. Let patience have her perfect work. Prayer, Father, since I know You love me, and I know Your plans for me will come to pass, I faithfully discharge the duties I have been given. I perform everything I am expected to do in excellence, whether others are watching or not. I will never give up, cave in or quit! I declare this by faith. In Jesus' name, Amen! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Dealing with Difficult People (I Samuel 26:17-25)
I Samuel 26:17-25, The saga of David and Saul continues. David is presented with an additional opportunity to slay Saul. However, once again he operates by principle and not revenge. Responding with restraint demonstrates faith that God will handle the injustice without our involvement. While checking his bags at the airport, a man became indignant with the employee who handled luggage. For several minutes he belittled the young man and criticized his every move. Surprisingly, the curbside porter didn't seem troubled by this man's verbal abuse. After the angry man entered the airport, a woman approached the luggage handler and asked, "How do you put up with such injustice?" The young man said, "It's easy. That guy's going to Indiana, but I'm sending his bags to India." People react differently to injustice as the story illustrates. While some may retaliate, others only seek peace as is seen in David's life. Yet again, Saul was in pursuit of David and had come close to capturing him several times, yet God always provided escape for David. I Samuel 26 illustrates a second time that David had the opportunity to seek revenge on Saul, but again he refused to harm God's man, and instead,.. sought to reconcile his relationship with Saul. David could have easily retaliated or become angry. After all, Saul had asked David's forgiveness before and had even sought his blessing on Saul's family after David became king. Yet Saul was controlled by his anger and it led him to pursue David again. Would Saul never learn? David could have ended the battle once and for all, but sought reconciliation rather than retaliation. People usually deal with injustices in one of three ways. 1. Some people retreat. Have you ever met someone who was hurt by another person and withdrew from social interaction? Perhaps they sought to do right, or be kind, and were met with an attack. Such actions can easily cause a person to withdraw and refuse to show kindness to others. 2. Some people respond with retaliation. Human nature often urges us to seek revenge when wronged. Retaliating feels good to our flesh. We were wronged, so we rationalize that it's only fair that the other people feel our pain as well. There's something almost soothing about inflicting pain on those who wrong us. Yet God directly commands us to reject the urge to retaliate and allow Him to handle wrongdoings. 3 Some respond with restraint. God's desire for our reaction to injustice is through restraint. As Psalm 3:7 says, "Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the LORD, and depart from evil." If David was looking for an excuse to retaliate against Saul, he had one, yet he chose to leave Saul's punishment in God's hands. Reacting with restraint shows a level of faith that God will take care of the injustice without our involvement. God sees the injustices in your life, and even though you may not see retaliation immediately, God will have the final say in the matter. Trust Him to make right the wrongs, and choose to respond in restraint. PRAYER: Lord, there have been times in life that I have been wronged. Through those times You’ve taught me that You will handle it better than I could. Help me to remember that when someone in my life is difficult to deal with, I need to turn them over to You. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post in any way, has blessed you, please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com Burning with Bitterness (Hebrews 12:15)
Hebrews 12:15, Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; There was a woman who was sick after being bitten by a dog. She went to the doctor to see if the dog had rabies. He examined her, did a number of tests and told her the bad news. “I’m sorry to have to tell you this, but I’m afraid you’ve contracted rabies.” The doctor left the room for a minute, and when he returned the woman was busy writing on a piece of paper. He asked, “What are you doing, writing your will?” She said, “No, I’m making a list of all the people I’m going to bite before I die.” There was a lot people she was bitter at. That’s just the way most people think about revenge. When a person becomes offended and doesn’t deal with that offense correctly, that bitterness often churns so long in a person’s soul that it turns into a root of bitterness. God is telling you that if you don’t repent of bitterness and remove it from your life, it becomes deeply embedded in your soul. Once it becomes this deeply rooted in your soul, your negative opinion of the offender will become firmly fixed. Where does bitterness come from? Bitterness can come about as the result of what others do to us or say about us. Sometimes, bitterness can result from the events of life themselves, as we blame God or others for our troubles. Bitterness will affect every relationship within your life, but it will affect your relationship with the Lord most of all. A man who hates to be slapped on the back packs his coat with TNT and waits for the man who always slaps his back. His idea is when he hits me, I will get him, I'll blow him up. Hate may kill the person you hate, but it will also kill you as well. Hating people is like burning down your own house to get rid of a rat. Hatred and bitterness hurt the hater much more than the one hated. Hating someone holds little effectiveness. The one that is hated often is unaware of the hatred and unaffected by it. Yet the one who hates is often consumed with the feelings and allows them to govern their thoughts and actions. We cannot control everything that happens to us, but we can control how we respond to those things that happen to us. A wise one once said, "I will never allow another person to ruin my life by making me hate him." Whenever someone does something to us, we can choose how we will respond. Right now, you may be in a mess, but it is never too late to follow the Lord. There is a price to pay for disobedience, but God can take the broken pieces of your life and mend them back together. The Holy Spirit is willing, ready, and waiting to help you grab hold of those roots of bitterness and pull them clear out of your life. All He needs is your invitation, so why don’t you go ahead and ask Him to assist you right now? PRAYER: Father in Heaven, I ask You to examine my heart and expose any resentment or unforgiveness lest any root of bitterness would spring up inside me. Help me to walk in the Spirit that I may produce the Fruit of the Spirit. In Jesus name, AMEN! If this post has blessed you in any way please share this website and its articles with others: www.fellowshipbaptistcarrabelle.com |
AuthorDr. Blackman is passionate about helping others grow in the grace of the Lord. His devotions are centered on how to grow closer to the Lord through a personal relationship with Christ. Archives
April 2024
Categories |