Can you rejoice in the middle of disaster?

"Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior" (Habakkuk 3:17-18 NIV).

The prophet Habakkuk knew what to do when things seemed completely hopeless. His world was literally falling apart. In fact, the situation was so bad it seemed trouble was bursting through the seams of his life. So what did Habakkuk do? He rejoiced and praised the Lord in spite of everything! That may seem contrary to you and even silly. But you have probably lost something or someone who is very dear to you, so you can know how Habakkuk was feeling. But follow the prophet's example. When something bad happens to you, thank God - not because you're suffering, but because you know He is still faithful and loving. God wants to bless you, and He can lift your head above any problem!

Prayer, God, I need Your strength to stand up in the midst of troubled times and say, "Thank you, Lord" despite what is happening around me. Help me to learn this lesson from Your prophet Habakkuk and apply it to my life today and every day. In Jesus' Name. Amen.

JOEL OSTEEN MINISTRIES © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

There's Hope For You!

 

I have...plans to give you the future you hope for. (Jeremiah 29:11 TM)

In Jeremiah 29:11 we have a great promise in a not-so-great chapter. So if things aren't going too well in your life at the moment, this verse is for you!

God's people were living as slaves in Babylon. Why? Because of disobedience to God. And worse, Babylon was about as pagan as you could get. It wasn't the kind of place Christians hung out; it was a moral and spiritual wasteland. And on top of that, the Israelites' own preachers were leading them astray. So God told them, "Don't let all those so-called preachers and know-it-alls...take you in with their lies" (Jer 29:8-9 TM). Yet in the midst of all this, along comes the God of hope saying, "I still have a plan for you. It's not over till I say so. I'm going to turn things around for you. Your best days are ahead."

You say "How do you know that God still has a plan for me?" Because you're still breathing! He has a plan for every single person He ever created, and it never goes out of date. Unlike the milk in your supermarket that has an expiry date on it after which it can't be used, God's plans don't have expiry dates. Even if you've missed His plan entirely for years, that plan can still swing into operation the moment you turn your life over to Him and fall in line with His will. Now, your plan might be somewhat modified from what it would have been 20 years ago if you'd paid attention, but that doesn't stop God. He can adapt to fit anything that comes up, in any life that's ever lived - including yours. So, there's hope for you!

THE VINE by Bob Gass © 2000 - 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Dealing with Disappointment

Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life. (Proverbs 13:12)

Lately I have noticed that I tend to be more "testy" than usual. I've noticed it, but haven't addressed it. So this morning I asked, "Where is this anger coming from?" I had my Bible program open and so I put in the word "anger." One of the words that came up was "disappointment," and immediately I knew where the anger was coming from.

Each of us has hopes and dreams for our lives. God actually designed us to be goal and vision oriented. Proverbs 29:18 says that without a vision we actually perish. So it's not a bad thing to have plans, goals and desires for our lives. But what happens when those plans are diverted?  Proverbs 13:12 says that hope differed makes the heart sick. My heart had become sick with disappointments and I hadn't even realized it.

Disappointment is a part of life that every person deals with. Our kids disappoint us; our spouse disappoints us; our friends disappoint us; we even disappoint ourselves. Left unchecked, these disappointments build up and begin to dam up the River of Life that God desires to flow through us. We must regularly ask the Holy Spirit to shine the light of Truth into our hearts and dislodge the hurts, disappointments, and offenses that threaten to cut off the fruit of God's Spirit in our lives. Bearing good fruit is God's greatest desire for our lives (John 15) and so it is no wonder that Satan works overtime to dump garbage there! What we do with it greatly affects our life and the lives of those around us. All those little foxes destroy the vine of our lives!

I had to admit that I've had several disappointments over the last several months. Then I had to repent and ask God to forgive me for carrying them. Rather than giving them over to God (Matthew 11:28) and allowing His Spirit to strengthen me, I had 'stuffed' them, causing a dam to be built in me. Praise God I saw it today and not twenty years from now!

Don't be afraid to be honest about what you're dealing with. When we agree with God, His grace empowers us to do that which we cannot do on our own. And I don't care how much you try, you can never overcome without the Holy Spirit's Help. Apart from Him you can do NOTHING!

I pray that today the River of Living Water will well up inside of you and dislodge all the hurts and disappointments in your life. I ask the Holy Spirit to work within you to bring healing and restoration to your body, mind, soul and spirit. May you be filled with the fullness of God's love and may your life abound with lots of good, healthy fruit;  love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, meekness, gentleness, and self-control! (Gal. 5:22-23).

 

May you be empowered by God in your inner being so that you may be completed flooded with His grace, His power and His peace.

CINDE LUCAS OVERFLOW MINISTRIES © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

Finding Peace in Times of Distress

 

When the hour is dark, when the situation is desperate, when we are humbled and brought very low, we finally begin looking and longing for God's peace. Trembling, we grope through the darkness, longing to know that all will be well.

When the angel of Jehovah appeared to Gideon (Judges 6), he was crouching in the dark confines of a winepress, threshing wheat in secret to protect it and himself from the Midianite invaders. This was not a new way to thresh grain, it was cowardice.

 

Listen to how the angel of the Lord addresses Gideon.

The angel of the LORD appeared to him and said to him, "The LORD is with you, O valiant warrior." Then Gideon said to him, "O my lord, if the LORD is with us, why then has all this happened to us? …the LORD has abandoned us and given us into the hand of Midian." The LORD looked at him and said, "Go in this your strength and deliver Israel from the hand of Midian. Have I not sent you?" (Judges 6:12-14)

At first Gideon questioned this angel of the Lord and complained about his circumstances. How could God really love Israel? How could God really care about Gideon when they were all in such distress, danger, and poverty? Gideon did not yet know to Whom he was speaking. This angel spoke as Jehovah Himself, and when Gideon finally realized he'd been discussing politics and religion with God face to face he was rightfully terrified:
"Alas, O Lord GOD! For now I have seen the angel of the LORD face to face." The LORD said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear; you shall not die." Then Gideon built an altar there to the LORD and named it The LORD is Peace. (Judges 6:22-24)

When do we first encounter the name Jehovah-shalom? Where does God first reveal His name as The Lord is Peace? In the presence of a man who is desperately afraid… a man who is literally walled in by circumstances… a man who is worried and discouraged and has no peace in his heart.

When Gideon's eyes were at last opened to see that the Lord had taken a personal interest in his situation, that God was present with him in the midst of all this darkness and fear, he worshiped the Lord by a new name Jehovah-shalom, The Lord is Peace.

In the days to come, the Lord was going to put Gideon in some very unpeaceful situations. In some ways Gideon would face more stresses and challenges than he had ever faced in his young life. Learning this business of being a "valiant warrior" wasn't going to be easy. But no matter what happened from this point on, Gideon could look back to an altar. He could look back at a moment in time when Jehovah-shalom said to him, "Peace to you, do not fear."

Beloved, do you ever feel as if you're trying to thresh wheat in a winepress? Surrounded by an enemy who presses in on you and tries to steal every grain of peace and gladness out of your life? Do you ever begin to wonder where your God is in the midst of your hurt and worry?

How rightly Gideon named that altar, The Lord is Peace. True peace cannot be found in any other place than in a right relationship with God. We cannot base our peace in the circumstances and situations of life.We must not let our peace be centered in another man or woman no matter how dear they are to us. We dare not allow peace to depend on sunny skies, a full stomach, a balanced checkbook, a healthy body, or a harmonious home.

 

I believe the Lord sometimes allows situations that strip away the shallow, surface peace on which we have come to depend. He allows us to be distressed and in turmoil and unable to find the answers we need from our husbands, wives, friends, or counselors. In those times, as with Gideon, we need to discover that God is Jehovah-shalom.

As Paul wrote to the Ephesians, "He Himself is our peace" (Ephesians 2:14). Once you really understand this and worship God as Jehovah-shalom, you can have peace no matter what storms sweep over the horizon.

 

Jesus told His disciples this very thing in the last few hours before the Cross. These men were in terrible turmoil, and things were about to get much worse. Here is Jesus' promise: "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Do not let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful." (John 14:27)
"These things I have spoken to you, so that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world." (John 16:33)

Where do you run when you need peace? Is your first response to go looking for a person or to pick up the phone? Before you do, Beloved, run into the shelter of His name. When you find Him, you will find peace because… He is Peace.

 

Written by Kay Arthur, shared thru CROSSWALK © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

A Broken Spirit

 

"The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit." (Psa. 34:18)

I have heard that there is a monastery in Greece perched high on a cliff, several hundred feet in the air. The only way to reach the monastery is to be suspended in a basket which is pulled to the top by several monks who pull and tug with all their strength. Obviously the ride up the steep cliff in that basket is terrifying.

One tourist got exceedingly nervous about half-way up as he noticed that the rope by which he was suspended was old and frayed. With a trembling voice he asked the monk who was riding with him in the basket how often they changed the rope. The monk thought for a moment and answered serenely: "Whenever it breaks."

We are shocked that someone would wait that long before changing the rope. It only makes sense that the rope ought to be changed long before reaching that point. But it dawned on me that God operates the same way in our lives. If we were to ask God when He will change our lives, His answer might well be, "Whenever you break!"

You see, our lives can only change once we have what the Bible refers to as a "broken spirit". As long as we remain arrogant and determined to do things our way, God can't shape us and mold us.

 

Like a wild stallion, we remain useless until we are "broken".

THOUGHT FOR THE TODAY by Alan Smith © 2007. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

We are not Abandoned

(click on the image above to view the flashmovie)

God has said, "Never will I leave you;

never will I forsake you" (Hebrews 13:5 NIV).

I heard Steve Brown on the radio telling about the ugliest car he had ever seen. It had a large gash on its side; the door was held together with bailing wire; many places on the car were rusted out. The muffler was loose and, with every bump, was hitting the street sending sparks in every direction. It was hard to tell the original color of the car. The rust had eaten away much of the original paint, and so much of the car had been painted over with so many different colors that any one of them, or none of them, could have been the first coat. The most interesting thing about the car was the bumper sticker. It read: "This is not an abandoned car."

We live in a fallen world. It is ugly and depressing. Everywhere we turn we find tragedy and heartache. We are sitting on the verge of disaster. But it is not just the world. It's us. Sometimes the effort to keep on keeping on doesn't seem worth it. Guilt, loneliness, hurt and fear become constant companions. One wonders sometimes if any of it makes any difference. One wonders if anyone, especially God cares. But a long time ago, in a manger, a baby was born. It was a sign. It read: "This is not an abandoned world."

When Jesus came, God gave us the assurance that he had not abandoned us. He visited our planet letting us know that he was involved and that he cared. What the angel said to the shepherds was the same thing God is saying to us today, "Do not be afraid. I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11 NIV).

Even though we may not understand all that is happening to us and to our world, we are in good hands. God is not in a panic; he is still in control of our world. While circumstances may indicate panic at every turn, God came to us to say that he can understand the complexities of humanity and will touch people where they hurt the most.

From "Sightings of the Savior" © 2003 by Rick Ezell, sighted in Rick's "One Minute Uplift" weekly email devotional of March 1, 2007 (Please include this line to forward the message).

If your heart is breaking

 

For Christmas this year, a dear friend gave me a reprint of a book from the mid 1890's. It a recipe book of sorts and it tells how to make everything from common household cleaners to medication to explosives. The recipes and information are fascinating, although I don't think I'll try most of them.

One of the things I learned how to make was called Prince Rupert's Drops or Prince Rupert's Tears. PLEASE DO NOT ATTEMPT THIS. The tears are made by letting drops of molten glass fall into a tub of cold water. As the glass hits the water and cools, it creates beautiful tear shaped drops. They are hard and clear, and have a small tail of glass on them.

 

The inner part cools more slowly and contracts. This places the entire outer surface of the drop in strong compression and hardens it so much that you can hit it with a hammer on a concrete slab without breaking it.

The amazing thing is that when you hold a drop and break off its tail, the drop explodes into fine powder and the explosion can be felt in your hand. I suspect that a vacuum must be formed when the glass hits the water and when air is let in, the drop can't handle the pressure change.

At first I thought the recipe was simply one of those interesting but useless pieces of trivia that catch my attention from time to time. The more I thought about it, the more I realized what an apt metaphor for life it was.

Our hearts can be as beautiful as Prince Rupert's Tears and just as fragile. We go through life with hearts that are hard and empty. An event will occur that shatters our heart and we're left holding nothing but dust. The impact of the brokenness rocks our world. It is in that moment that many of us realize that we need a relationship with Jesus.

Fortunately we serve the God who mends the broken hearted. When we encounter them, we can share the reason for our joy.

 

But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (1Peter 3:15-16a NIV)

If you heart is breaking, turn to the one who can heal it.

If you know someone with a broken heart, tell him or her about Jesus.

 

Adapted from : PRINCE RUPERT TEARS by Kevin F. Corbin at GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD MINISTRIES  © 2001 - 2007. All rights reserved. For prayer request please email us at prayer@gleaningsfromtheword.com (Please include this line to forward the message).

Turbulent Waters

Sometimes it seems our lives are lived in the midst of turbulent waters. We are pounded by forces outside our control. The noise of life becomes deafening and life threatens to erode away our very bedrock. We cry out wondering where God is in the midst of it all. Has He forgotten us? Will our very foundation be washed out from under us?

He has not forsaken us. Often times we need to feel like we are drowning before we cry out to God. He does allow some erosion of our foundations but only those parts that are not based on Him. He holds the river in its banks. The Apostle Peter experienced the turbulent waters firsthand.

The miracle is not Jesus walking on water, after all He is God. The miracle is not even Peter walking on the water, after all He was following Christ in faith and miracles happen when do that. To me the most marvelous miracle of all is that Peter did not sink like a rock when He took His eyes off of Christ. It is true that he began to sink, but when you think about it, people do not begin to sink when they try to walk on water ... they sink and too quickly to do anything about it.

When He fixed His eyes on Jesus again Jesus reached out and caught Him. Despite all that was happening, Peter was in no danger of drowning. The turbulent waters of the storm would not overwhelm Him. They simply focused Him back on the one who would deliver Him. A foundation of doubt was undermined by the storm and replaced by faith.

When you face turbulent waters

 look to Jesus and walk on in faith.

GLEANINGS FROM THE WORD MINISTRIES by Kevin F. Corbin © 2001 - 2007. All rights reserved. For prayer request please email us at prayer@gleaningsfromtheword.com (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Secret to Dealing with the Pressures of Life

The average person today faces a myriad of different pressures. For some, I'm sure, it feels like they are living in a pressure cooker. Whether it is economic pressure, or family pressure, or pressure somehow related to our jobs, we all know what the stresses of daily life can be like.

Maybe you are in a battle for your health today. Or maybe you're feeling the pressure of not getting anywhere in your life. You wonder why you aren't at a different level of life… why you don't seem to have any sense of direction… why you feel like that tiny hamster running around the little wheel!

Whatever it is, feeling the pressure of life is something you and I have in common. And what I want to share with you today is a word in season for those like you and me who have to deal with various pressures.

First, feeling the crunch can actually be a good thing. Why? Because it will often drive you to your knees. And one thing God has taught me when the pressures of life have driven me to my knees is this:

I must learn to be content where I am and grateful for what I have

Now, you might think this sounds like a weird — and almost impossible — response when you're feeling the heat in life. But think with me for a moment about the apostle Paul. He wrote the book of Philippians shackled to a guard in a Roman prison cell. In fact, let's look at what he says in Philippians 4:11-13: Not that I speak in regard to need, for I have learned in whatever state I am, to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned (literally, I know the secret) both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. (Here's the secret:) I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

What Paul is saying is this: full or hungry, with much or little, God is our source. It doesn't matter what we're going through. When we're going through a temporary rough patch or a temporary lean time, God is our source. If we're going through a season of abundance, God is our source.

Contentment is only found when we're plugged into God. And no matter what's going on around us, we can face anything through Christ who infuses inner strength into us!

This is the kind of attitude Paul had when he was in prison! He was locked up in awful conditions, yet he wrote about being content! How did he do this? By looking for the good and being thankful in the midst of his current situation.

To some people, that wouldn't make sense at all because Paul wasn't free to go about… he wasn't free to preach. All he could do was write letters! How's that going to  influence the world? Yet in the midst of his circumstances, Paul was thankful.

First, he was thankful he had the chance to witness to and impact the most elite Roman troops in the entire empire (Phil. 1:13). Second, he was thankful that others were encouraged to preach because he could stay true to God in prison (Phil. 1:14). And, third… think about this… Paul was even thankful for others who were preaching the Gospel with impure motives (because even if their motives weren't right, the message was!).

Look what he says in Philippians 1:18. "Whether in pretense or in truth, Christ is preached; and in this I rejoice, yes, and will rejoice." Paul found so many things to be grateful for, even in that prison cell!

The problem with us is that, I believe, we take a lot for granted today… from the food we eat, to the roofs over our heads, to the transportation we have. We have an abundance far beyond our needs, for which we ought to give thanks daily!

I think even waking up in your right mind is worth being thankful for. If your brain works fairly well, you ought to thank God for that! You and I really do have a lot to be thankful for. And when you live a life filled with gratitude, there's a huge benefit:

The seeds of depression and bitterness will never grow in a thankful heart.

In the first chapter of the book of Romans, Paul talks about people who are depraved. If you read carefully what he lists, you realize that Paul is really giving the steps to becoming a depraved person. And he says it begins with ingratitude.

Bitter and depressed people don't thank God for who He is or for the things He has done… and it leads to their minds being darkened. That sin leads to another sin and to another sin until they end up in an absolutely depraved state!

My brother or sister, you and I have a lot to be thankful for! So fill your heart today - and every day - with the peace of contentment and with the joy of gratitude. If you do, you will learn the secret to living abundantly in our pressure-filled world.

ANSWERS WITH BAYLESS CONLEY © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

You Are Safe in God

Uphold me according to your promise,

that I may live, and let me not be put to shame in my hope!

Hold me up, that I may be safe

and have regard for your statutes continually!

(Psa 119:116-117 ESV)

 

This world can sometimes be a pretty tough and cold place.

It's often hard to feel safe and loved

in an environment where most people fight for their own survival.

 

If you know God in an intimate way,

He can provide for you a place of comfort and safety

where you can be yourself and know that you are loved as you are.

 

He doesn't harm you, nor does He demand anything from you

in order for you to receive His love.

He is the only place where you can feel totally safe and wanted.

 

Where you know that you count and are special – very special.

If you want to experience that love, just surrender your all to Him.

Let go of your fear, pride, anger and unbelief.

 

He knows you better than you know yourself,

and he loves you more than anyone else.

 

CHRISTIAN ART FOR YOU designed by David and Renate Sorensen © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward the message).

The Tears in Your Bottle

Jesus prayed with passion in the Garden of Gethsemane before His betrayal and crucifixion. Of Jesus, Dr. Luke writes, "And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44).

Perhaps no passage of Scripture better describes Jesus' passion in prayer than does Hebrews 5:7. The writer of Hebrews describes Jesus' prayer that night in the garden when facing the cross: "While Jesus lived on earth, he prayed to God and asked God for help. He prayed with loud cries and tears to the One who could save him from death. And his prayer was heard because he left it all up to God" (Heb. 5:7, ICB).

Here is an important key concerning prayer. In describing Jesus' prayer in the garden, this passage points out His loud cries and tears. But we are told that He was actually heard because of His reverent submission to the will and plan of God—"his prayer was heard because he left it all up to God."

God loves fervent people, and He loves tears! We collect things that are of value to us. Scripture tells us that our heavenly Father saves our tears in a bottle (Ps. 56:8). When tears have watered the soil into which the seeds of prayer have been planted, we should expect a harvest. The title of singer/songwriter Dottie Rambo's gospel song says it rightly: "Tears are a language God understands."

Have you noticed that life is not a rose garden? There certainly are pressing times and issues that we will face that will bring us to tears. Without question, there have been times when tears have provoked the Lord to rule in one's favor.

In 2 Kings 20, King Hezekiah was dying of an illness when he prayed, "Remember, O LORD, how I have walked before you faithfully and with wholehearted devotion and have done what is good in your eyes" (v.3). And as Hezekiah prayed, he wept bitterly before the Lord. Later the Lord told the prophet Isaiah, "Go back and tell Hezekiah I have heard his prayer and seen his tears; I will heal him" (vv. 2–5).

What does the Lord promise to those who pray so fervently that they weep?

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy (Psalm 126:5).

 

Section Two: Prayer as Intercession. Lesson Twelve: Fervent Prayer

TEACH ME TO PRAY by Eddie and Alice © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

When Your Heart Hurts

This has been a couple of tough weeks for my family and me! First my father was rushed to the hospital in the middle of the night in a coma with very erratic life signs. He is still in a coma (10 days now) and on a respirator with lots of intravenous tubes. The family is spending lots of time in the hospital setting, watching and waiting. Five days ago, my mother had to see her doctor because of chest pains, but thankfully it was determined it was the result of stress; medication should ease the problem.

Yesterday, I received a call from our oldest son telling me he had just lost his job due to "company restructuring." It doesn't matter that "they hated to let him go," they still did. So house payments and other expenses suddenly seem more daunting than before. I talked to a friend this weekend and he asked, "So, how are you doing?" My response was, "Not so good right now. It seems like we are on an emotional 'see saw' just going up and down."

I know mentally that "this too shall pass" and that with God's help things will eventually get better. I also know that this is something that many of you have gone through yourselves. The cards, letters, and phone calls have been a real blessing. Emotionally though, sometimes my heart hurts.

My heart hurts not just for myself, but for my dad and my mom who have been together for almost 60 years. It hurts for my sister, brother, brother-in-law, and all of the nieces, nephews, grandchildren, and great grandchildren that also wait and watch. But, I think I hurt most because I have trouble letting go and letting God handle things, even though intellectually I know that he can.

This morning in my devotional reading, I was reading Psalms 118. After I read that wonderful proclamation of God's love and power, I felt refreshed in my spirit. The Psalm was written in praise of God for delivering the Israelite nation from Babylonian captivity. The writer has a theme to his message found in these words: "You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever" (Psalm 118:28-29 NIV).

Even if we lose jobs or even if death visits us, "He is good and his love endures forever." God has promised us that everything will work out to the good (Romans 8:28), even if we can't see it right now. So I ask you along with asking myself, "Do you really believe God's word?"

I'm not afraid of death, whether it be my father's or my own. I love Paul's simple, yet meaningful quote of an Old Testament description of heaven shared with the Corinthians: But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him (1 Corinthians 2:9).

I love that description and promise! This is especially true because we get a glimpse of these great blessings because of God's Spirit (1 Corinthians 2:10).

What it all boils down to is that I truly hate the empty place that makes your heart hurt when you think about the separation, even temporarily, from one you love. I hate the sinking feeling that you get when the boss says, "Sorry, but you've been downsized." The bottom line is that I hate the uncertainty that Satan tries to shove into that empty place that says, "You can't rely upon anything or anyone in this life." That's really what happens, isn't it? Whenever there is an empty spot in our lives, Satan jumps in to fill it with his lies!

There is an old hymn that goes something like this:
Into my heart, Into my heart, Come into my heart Lord Jesus, Come in today, Come in to stay, Come into my heart Lord Jesus. That is what I want! I want Jesus there today and to stay!

My prayer is that no matter what happens in this life, even when my heart hurts, that I can fill my heart with Jesus. When I can do that, I know that the hurt will be lessened and I will be reminded that all of this hurt is only temporary. I join the psalmist in saying, "You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever!"

MESSAGES FROM THE HEART by Russ Lawson © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

In Time of Need

Nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You. (2 Chronicles 20:12)

Have you ever been in what appeared to be an impossible situation? Have you ever desperately needed something, but it seemed you would never have it? Have you ever thought there was no future for you?

Well, if you've ever felt that way, then you need to know that God can answer prayer and can turn situations around. He can turn people around. And when necessary, He can even change the course of nature. It has been said, "If you are swept off your feet, it's time to get on your knees."

One example that immediately comes to mind is King Jehoshaphat of Judah. Here was a man who had begun to lead the people back to worshiping the true and living God. Suddenly a warning comes: "King Jehoshaphat, your enemies are gathered to attack you." The Bible says he was alarmed.

What is important is what he did with his alarm, with his concern, and with his anxiety. Immediately he gathered the people together and prayed, "We have no power against this great multitude that is coming against us; nor do we know what to do, but our eyes are upon You" (2 Chronicles 20:12). A prophet gave Jehoshaphat the Lord's answer: "Stand still and see the salvation of the Lord, who is with you. . . . Do not fear or be dismayed; tomorrow go out against them, for the Lord is with you" (2 Chronicles 20:17).

Here is a picture of a vulnerable people who don't know what to do, who are completely dependent upon God. It is a great picture of what to do in time of need.

God answered the prayer of the king and dramatically altered his circumstances by destroying his enemies.

Remember, you can turn to God in prayer in desperate circumstances, and He will hear your cry.

HARVEST MINISTRY by Pastor Greg Laurie © 2006. All rights reserved. (Please include this line to forward).

Answered Prayer

She was deeply distressed and prayed to the LORD and wept bitterly. (1Sa 1:10)

Since the first of the year, I had been wanting to be hired back into the computer technology market. I sent out over a hundred resumes to recruiters and companies alike. I had one good lead but at the last minute after two managers agreed to hire me a third manager rejected me without ever meeting me. His reasoning was that I had been out of the computer industry too long. However, I had convinced the other two managers that I used technology in my business on a daily basis and I had kept up with the other changes through trade magazines and other related journals. Needless to say, I was heart broken and wondered what was I to do?

 

I remembered my Pastor at the time preached on Hannah and how God wouldn't answer her prayer until she changed it. She was praying for a man child because she was the laughing stock because she couldn't give her husband a man child. She thought that had to be the answer and if only God would grant her prayer request she would be happy. God knew that wasn't the best answer for her long term. She came back the next year to the temple and prayed she would give her first man child to the Lord's service when he reached the appropriate age. This is a wonderful story of how Sammuel came to be in God's service. He was known as one of the greatest prophets that ever led Israel.

 

I believe the Bible Principle is if God doesn't answer our prayers then we need to change them to what He knows is best for us. I had been praying to get a job in technology and He wouldn't answer my prayer. I realized that I was doing the same thing as Hannah. I begin to change my prayer that I could find a business to buy. Same thing happened, that prayer was never answered and I kept running into dead ends.

 

I was really confused by now and didn't know what God was up to at this time. I went to a Christian conference and through some teachings I began to see I wasn't content. I knew Paul admonishes us all to be content in whatever state we are in. I repented and lay my desires on the altar and said openly, "God you know my needs, I trust you to supply them as you see fit."

 

It was about 3-4 months later that Sarah offered us The Frugal Life website. You see God answered my prayer and it didn't cost me anything but surrender to His will. I had completely forgot about having another business but God wanted us to have an additional website for income possibilities after all.

 

I asked Sarah how she decided to offer us the website. She said she had been praying about what to do with it and the Lord put Donna and my name in her heart. Isn't that just like a good "Papa" to offer us something better than we could have imagined.

The Story of Hannah begins in I Sammuel.
Paul's Admonishment to be content is found in Philippians 4:11-12

Answered Prayer by Randal J. Watkins, Taken from the free online ezine, "A Healing Moment"

Permission is granted for use of any articles written by Donna L. Watkins if credit includes the author's name and an active link to this website.

Unanswered prayers left you feeling forgotten?

"…so whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give it to you." - John 15:16

Have unanswered prayers left you feeling unloved or forgotten? What are the things that occupy most (if not all) of your prayer? What is that one prayer request that you bring to the Lord most often? Perhaps it's about a relationship (or it's the request for a relationship). Maybe it's about the future. Maybe it's associated with the past, a past hurt or struggle. Maybe it's just a prayer to get through the present, which seems to be dragging on. Only you and God know what it is…that deep, dark longing within your heart that occupies all of your time and energy. Do you feel like God has answered that prayer?

Probably not because if you felt like He answered it already, you most likely wouldn't still be praying about it with such fervency or redundancy. The reality is that there are many prayers we offer that we often feel go unanswered. That "lack of response" is usually seen as God punishing us, or not being present to us or, simply, not caring. But before we go there, let me ask you one more question. Does your prayer request lead you closer to Christ and, ultimately, to Heaven?

If so, give God time, He might have an alternate way of getting you there. If not, ask yourself another question, "Do you really expect God (who wants to have you close to Him and, eventually, home in Heaven with Him) to answer a prayer that would lead you away from Him?"

I used to get annoyed because I would ask God for things in prayer and I'd always invoke Jesus' name in the prayer, but nada. I did what this verse said. I said Jesus' name and…still, God didn't answer me. Then I learned what "asking in Jesus' name" really meant. The Name of Jesus is sacred, because it is the very name and essence of God. How sacred? Read Philippians 2:10 and Exodus 3:14.

The Name of God (Jesus) is holy. To invoke the name of Christ means that you are asking God for something as Jesus did, Himself. It's more than "using someone else's name" when trying to get a discount or trying to get into a private party. You are putting on Christ, taking on His very essence, which means that you abandon your wants to the will of God that requires total humility and trust.

Jesus lived a life that put God's will ahead of his own in all things. At no point do we see this more clearly or beautifully than in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matthew 26:39).

To ask God for something in Jesus' name means, very simply, to want God's will to be done more than you want your wishes to be granted. It means trusting that if what you or I "want" is not what will ultimately lead us closer to God or be best for our soul, that God precisely because He loves us won't answer that prayer…and that's a good thing.

Tonight, rather than rattling through a long list of intentions that God already knows (and probably expects) from you. How about something different? How about just uttering, proclaiming and praising the name above all other names, Jesus. Just repeat His name over and over again. Let that be your prayer this night. In fact, let that be your prayer anytime, trusting that God knows the longings of your heart and will act in accordance with His will and His hopes and design for you.

That is the easiest way to insure that your prayers are always answered – make your prayers about what God wants for you, not what you want from Him. And if it's been a while since you prayed, that's okay, just start…"In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…"

 

Unanswered prayers left you feeling forgotten? by Mark Hart at lifeteen.com

Under Construction

It has not yet been revealed what we shall be.  (1 John 3:2)

You say, "My life is so messed up at the moment." John replies: "Now we are children of God; and it has not yet been revealed what we shall be." Have you ever been to a construction site? It looks like anything but a building, doesn't it? That's because "it has not yet been revealed what it shall be." But bit-by-bit, under the architect's supervision, bricks, beams and piles of sand start taking shape.

You may be a mess right now. Indeed, if the church is doing its job there should be lots of messy people in it: people being pulled out of rough situations, people in the process of being restored. No baby comes out of the womb clean and dressed up; birth is painful and messy. But the good news is you have been spiritually reborn. You are under construction. There is a plan and purpose behind what's going on in your life. Things will come together. You see, when Christ comes into your life your spirit is immediately changed, but your emotions, appetites and attitudes still need work - lots of it. In each of us there are areas that need to be corrected and redirected. And until they are we struggle to handle them in dysfunctional and carnal ways.

Those who say, "If you were really a Christian you wouldn't act like that," tend to forget that falling down is just part of learning to walk. You can know what to do yet struggle to do it. Relax! God is at work in your life. He won't give up on you!

Bible Readings: Mark 15:21-32, Ps 91, Pr 21:28-31

brought to you by Rhema Broadcasting Group in association with The Vine - www.thevine.co.nz™

Have you ever faced dullness, darkness and dryness?

Have you ever faced the problems of dullness, darkness and dryness?

Certain days come to us that are simply dull. There may be sameness and tameness about them. And sometimes we have to go through periods of darkness, and we wonder what in the world God is doing. Or we experience dryness – we are so spiritually dry, hungry and thirsty.

Psalm 119:129-136 provides answers to these questions.

What is the answer to dullness?

"Your testimonies are wonderful; therefore my soul keeps them" (v. 129).

Life cannot be dull when we read and obey the Bible. It has a way of taking the ordinary things of life and making them wonderful. When our minds and hearts are filled with Scripture, everything we see appears different.

What is the answer to darkness?

"The entrance of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple" (v. 130). Entrance means the opening up, the expounding, the unfolding of God's Word. As Scripture is explained to us, it illuminates us. If you find yourself in darkness today, read your Bible, and it will give you light.

What is the answer to dryness?

Sometimes we feel so dry and needy. "I opened my mouth and panted, for I longed for Your commandments" (v. 131). The Word of God is like fresh air when we feel smothered, like water when we are parched, like food when we are famished.

Its truths will brighten your soul, and its promises will encourage you. God designed the Bible to meet your needs. So when the discouraging days come, feed your mind and heart with the Word.

If you are having a dull, dark or dry day, turn to the Word of God.

written by Senior Pastor Timothy Satryan WILMINGTON first assembly of God

Are You An Outcast? Overcoming the Wounds of Rejection

When He had come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed Him. And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. (Matthew 8:1-3)

I was watching a television program this week with the woman who won The Swan. The Swan is a reality television program based on the classic story of The Ugly Duckling. The ugly duckling was really a swan. But before his metamorphosis into a swan he was unsightly to the other ducklings. And because of the way he looked, the other ducklings despised him and rejected him. He was an outcast. And nobody wanted to play with him until he went through a radical transformation and became a swan. This story is a metaphor for the superficial, looks conscious, lust driven, competitive popular culture in which we live.

The woman who won The Swan was plain and average before she underwent four months of cosmetic surgeries. But after her transformation she was beautiful and stunning. However, she never got over the hurt and the pain of the rejection she felt when she was plain and average. Even though she went through a radical external transformation, her internal communication was still the same. "I'm ugly. Nobody wants me for me."

Consequently, she was rejecting potential relationships. She wasn't giving them a chance to get to know her and wasn't giving herself a chance to get to know them. Her internal wounds were so deep that her rejection manifested into rejecting others. Rejected people reject people. And although her body image had changed, her self-image remained the same. She may have looked like a swan on the outside, but she still felt like an ugly duckling on the inside.

Many times when we come to Christ we get saved, but we still have some deep wounds that need to be healed. Rejection is a part of life for every human being. And for most people the wounds are quite difficult to overcome. Why? Because rejection is a demon spirit that Satan releases to destroy your life and systematically breakdown your mind, will, and emotions, until you cease to effectively function in society.

And even once you get delivered from rejection, you still have to be able to handle rejection in life. Deliverance from rejection does not mean that you get so delivered that you never feel the sting of rejection again. Deliverance from rejection means that you got delivered from a demon of rejection and now you can experience and encounter rejection, but not live your life being controlled and dominated by it.

And not only must we overcome the demon of rejection, but we must learn to love rejected people.

The spirit of rejection works two ways. It causes you to feel hurt, because someone is doing something and acting a certain way that is rejecting you. Or it causes you to feel hurt, because you are doing things and acting a certain way that causes people to reject you.

Many times we're too caught up into our relationships with people and what they think of us that we don't have a healthy and balanced walk with God. You've got to have a daily prayer life, a daily Word life, and a daily worship life. You've got to be so connected to the Father that no matter what comes your way you know that He loves you. The closer you get to God the less rejection will bother you.

Jesus was the most rejected man who ever lived. Isaiah 53:3 says, "He was despised and rejected by men." Mark 8:31 says, "And He began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things, and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and after three days rise again." Jesus knew that He would be rejected, and that He would be betrayed, and that He would be crucified. But He never came under the power of demonic control. Jesus never had a demon spirit. He was sinless. Every time He ran into rejection, He ran to His father in prayer. And it was His connection to the Father that sustained Him during times of rejection.

Jesus loved rejected people. And here in Mathew Chapter 8 Jesus is ministering to a rejected person. This man was an ostracized outcast banished from society, because he had leprosy. To be a leper in the Bible was very traumatic. This man was rejected and discarded by his community, his culture, and his religion. He was despised and to be avoided. Everyone was afraid of him and nobody wanted to be bothered with him. He was a reject. He didn't belong. He had no right to expect acceptance, love, friendship or kindness. He was to be refused and thrown away like yesterday's garbage. He was a leper. And to be a leper was the epitome of rejection. The spirit of rejection was moving against him everyday of his life. He couldn't escape it. It was apart of who he was. You can only imagine how it undermined and destroyed his self-esteem, his purpose, and his potential.

And just as Jesus finished His big message, the Sermon on the Mount, and ministering to the multitudes with the cheers of the crowd still ring in His ears and everyone jockeying for some face time with the preacher. Behold this leper, a social outcast, a religious misfit comes before Him. A man rejected by society. A man rejected by the church. A man discriminated against by his community and his culture. And he's saying to himself, "He ministered to all of them, but will he minister to me? I'm a leper. He preaches to multitudes, but will He touch me? I'm a reject."

And he drops to his knees before Jesus in an attitude of humility and in a position of desperation and brokenness to worship the Lord. He heard the sermon and now he's responding to the altar call. Desperate for deliverance and risking rejection once again, he said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." You can hear the nervousness and the timidity and the pain of rejection in his voice. "Lord, I don't know if You want to, But if You want to maybe You could heal me. Maybe You could make me clean. Maybe you could remove this stigma, this shame, this disgrace from my life. I just want to be loved and accepted and received. Lord, if You're willing, You can make me normal. I just want to be normal and regular like other people. Will You receive me? Will You love me? Will You accept me?"

And Jesus reached out to the leper and touched him and said, "I'm willing, be cleansed." The despised and rejected Savior was willing to deliver the despised and rejected leper. Jesus was willing to take the time to minister to someone who nobody else wanted to be bothered with.

Why did this man come to Jesus? Something drew him. It was the love of God that compelled him. Jesus was willing to reach out and intimately touch someone who no one would touch. Compassion (love in action) will have you reach out to the rejects and love the unlovable and touch them with the mercy and the miracles of Christ. Once we can come to the knowledge and understanding that God loves us it breaks the root of rejection and draws us to Jesus Christ.

And immediately the leper was healed. Jesus touched an untouchable and in that moment, in that instant he was delivered from leprosy. One touch of from Jesus (love manifested in the flesh) removed his stigma and his pain. He was cured. He was cleansed. And he was free. All the external and internal wounds were a distant memory.

God is no respecter of persons. He loves the unlovable. He loves the leper. He loves the reject. And He loves you. Jesus loves you enough to reach out to you, to touch you, and to set you free. The ministry of deliverance has the power to pull you out of bondage and demonic control. In one moment this man went from being a reject to being recognized and received by Christ.

If you have a wounded heart or a broken spirit, Jesus loves you. He draws near to them that have broken heart and saves as such that have a contrite spirit. And nothing can separate you from His love. He's willing to heal you and make you whole. He that cometh to Jesus, He will no wise cast out. He won't reject you. You are accepted in the Beloved. You are received and loved in Jesus Christ. Remember that you are no longer an ugly duckling. You are a beautiful swan. If you can see yourself the way that God sees you, you can overcome.

Yours for Acceptance in the Beloved, Apostle Brian S. Lewis email: apostleblewis@ancla.info phone: (310) 348-8180 web: http://www.ancla.info