Trusting God..... Streams in the Desert

 Trusting God

Streams in the Desert

But the dove found no rest for or the sole of her foot, and she returned unto him... And the dove came in to him in the evening; and, lo, in her mouth was an olive leaf (Genesis 8:9-11).

God knows just when to withhold from us any visible sign of encouragement, and when to grant us such a sign. How good it is that we may trust Him anyway! When all visible evidences that He is remembering us are withheld, that is best; He wants us to realize that His Word, His promise of remembrance, is more substantial and dependable than any evidence of our senses. When He sends the visible evidence, that is well also; we appreciate it all the more after we have trusted Him without it. Those who are readiest to trust God without other evidence than His Word always receive the greatest number of visible evidences of His love.
--C. G. Trumbull

Believing Him; if storm-clouds gather darkly 'round,
And even if the heaven seem brass, without a sound?
He hears each prayer and even notes the sparrow's fall.
And praising Him; when sorrow, grief, and pain are near,
And even when we lose the thing that seems most dear?
Our loss is gain. Praise Him; in Him we have our All.
Our hand in His; e'en though the path seems long and drear
We scarcely see a step ahead, and almost fear?
He guides aright. He has it thus to keep us near.
And satisfied; when every path is blocked and bare,
And worldly things are gone and dead which were so fair?
Believe and rest and trust in Him, He comes to stay.

Delays are not refusals; many a prayer is registered, and underneath it the words: "My time is not yet come." God has a set time as well as a set purpose, and He who orders the bounds of our habitation orders also the time of our deliverance.
--Selected

Stop Robbing the Body of Christ..... Dr. Charles Stanley

 Stop Robbing the Body of Christ

Dr. Charles Stanley

1 Corinthians 12:14-21

Every day, you get out of bed, put on clothes, and walk to the table to eat breakfast. You greet the rest of the household and maybe read the paper. A few minutes later, you drive to work at 60 m.p.h. on a strip of asphalt where other vehicles can pass by within four feet. In the first hour or so that you’re awake, your body completes thousands of complex tasks that are so routine they go unnoticed.

Our physical frame is a creation of remarkable beauty and intricacy. And while certain parts seem more attractive than others, all are useful. The body’s interdependent nature—that is, the way every part relies on other parts to perform properly—is an apt metaphor for a Christ-centered church. When believers use their gifts and talents to operate together lovingly, the whole body functions properly to the glory of God.

However, churches today are filled with people who feel insignificant. Upon seeing the successful work of others, they decide they’re not really needed or assume they haven’t got the “right” talents to make a worthwhile contribution. Those are lies from the Devil. When his misguidance succeeds—which is all too often—he manages to get one more Christian to back away in hopes that someone else will do the Lord’s work.

Hanging back instead of seeking a place to serve is a form of thievery: you’re robbing the Lord’s church—His people—of your unique contribution. Your role might be small or go unnoticed, but it is vital to Jesus Christ and to the smooth functioning of His body on earth.

Where to Look in Troubling Times (Colossians 3:1)..... By: Anne Peterson

 Where to Look in Troubling Times (Colossians 3:1)

By: Anne Peterson

Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things. – Colossians 3:1

When our life is in upheaval what are we to do? Often, what we do is determined by what we are focusing on. That’s why it’s important to ask ourselves, where should we look in times like these?

1) Look out, for the enemy is around

We are warned the enemy prowls about like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8). Satan may be like a lion, but he is toothless. God tells us to resist the devil and he will flee from us (James 4:7).

2) Look inside yourself

If we’ve accepted what Jesus did on the cross as payment for our sins, we have the Son. Furthermore, we are sealed with God’s Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:13-13). When someone wants to protect their valuables in a box, they lock it up. The Holy Spirit is God’s lock.

God assures us the Holy Spirit is greater than Satan, saying in 1 John 4:4 that “You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.” We need to memorize that verse because Satan tries to tell us he is more powerful. He’s the father of lies and we need to trust God’s Word.

3) Look back and remember what God has done

When I am fearful about what I’m facing, the Holy Spirit reminds me of times God helped me in the past. He also reminds me that God doesn’t change. If God helped me before, he’ll help me again.

4) Look in God’s Word

Whenever we have struggles, we can look in God’s Word, his love letter to us. There we’ll find the strength we need for whatever we face. When Jesus was being tempted in the wilderness, he didn’t face that temptation in his own strength, but he kept telling the devil, “It is written…” If God’s own Son used the Word of God to battle evil, how can we turn to anything else?

5) Look around

God made us for community. He tells us to love one another (1John 4:11). Loving each other means we look out for their needs. God said we are a family, members of one body (Romans 12:4-5). As we look around, we will notice how others are doing.

6) Look up

When things look dark, we are to look up as Jesus did. He lifted his eyes to heaven when he spoke to God (John 17:1). Isaiah tells us to lift our eyes on high and think about the one who created the stars and calls them by name (Isaiah 40:26).

7) Look unto Jesus

Lastly, we need to look unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, the one who endured the cross (Hebrews 12:2). Did you know when Jesus endured the cross, he was looking at the joy set before him. That’s those of us who would believe. We’re told to look unto Jesus and in his greatest hour of need, he was thinking about us!

God started a work in us when we first accepted Jesus, and Paul tells us God will keep working until we are complete in Christ. God tells us to fix our eyes not on what is seen, which is temporary, but what is unseen, which is eternal (2 Corinthians 4:18). And that takes faith. And when we do that, we know that God is pleased because without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6).

In troubling times, if we look at the way things are, we will get discouraged. If we look at the things that look impossible, we may lose hope. But as we continue to look unto Jesus, we will wait on him and God will renew our strength. We will soar on wings like eagles, run and not grow weary, walk and not be faint (Isaiah 40:31.)

What we focus on determines how we’ll do in our circumstances. What are you looking at? God wants us to keep our eyes on him.

Working Forgotten Muscles..... by Katherine Britton

 Working Forgotten Muscles

by Katherine Britton

"Rather, train yourself to be godly. For physical training is of some value, but godliness has value for all things, holding promise for both the present life and the life to come." - 1 Timothy 4:7b-8

Well, it's that time of year again - the time when I shake out the running shoes and hobble through training for a 10k after bumming through the winter. My hearty congratulations to those of you whose diligence makes that distance seem puny, but I suspect many of you empathize more than you'd prefer. My inner athlete is an uncoordinated middle school kid perpetually stuck in gym class, so it's taken some coaxing to begin workouts again.

After last year's run, I knew that I'd regret letting my body relax into semi-hibernation this winter. So why didn't I persevere with crunches, stair steps, or walks on sunny days? I could give you a load of excuses, but you've heard them all before. The bottom line is that power walking a 5k feels like a workout right now. I'm barely thinking about running twice that distance. My husband's prodding has goaded me in walk-jog mode, but I hit the wall more often than I experience a runner's high.

There are no shortcuts available to me in the next month. The only thing that will keep me from making a fool of myself or passing out are consistent training sessions and workouts. Right now, I could sprint a half-mile if I had to, but the distance requires enduring strength, not a short burst of energy. A 20-minute power walk every couple days won't really help me get ready. Real training requires setting the bar a little higher every time, forcing myself to stretch a little farther than the time before, and keeping my appointments on the training schedule.

Strength. Consistency. Goals.

The discipline of running a race means waking up muscles I forgot I had and teaching them a little more every day. Without those practices, I'll be hobbling across the finish line with the last of the stragglers.

It's too easy to kid ourselves that taking the stairs here, walking a little further there, doing a few crunches or pushups one day a month is real exercise. Sure, it's better than nothing, but where's the discipline? Short answer: nonexistent. We wake up our muscles just long enough for them to grumble at us and go back to sleep.

Likewise, I can deceive myself about spiritual disciplines. They require every bit as much training, consistency, and sense of purpose. What good does it do me to pray for five minutes before bed, really? If I want to learn to better speak with God, then I need to do some more praying, more training, trying out the deep prayers of the Bible. Then, maybe I would better understand what a habit of prayer looks like. Do I want to be more generous? More loving? More patient? We've got to do more than let our spiritual muscles wake up and fall asleep again.

In his book, "Disciplines of Grace," T.M. Moore notes that real spiritual training is marked by a transformation of our souls. He writes:

"Disciplines that do not produce growth are not disciplines at all. Rather, they have become mere routines, done to satisfy some sense of "oughtness" or duty but with little sanctifying effect. God has given us the disciplines of grace so that, as we are exposed to his glory from one encounter to the next, we will be progressively transformed into the very image of Jesus Christ, and, being transformed, nothing and no one we encounter will remain the same."

Intersecting Faith & Life: Why do you work out your spiritual muscles? To say that you "exercised" and did your part for the day? Or do you have a purpose in mind for your training - to finish more like Christ than you started?

A Prayer to Put on the Armor of God..... By Debbie McDaniel

 A Prayer to Put on the Armor of God

 By Debbie McDaniel

“Do not be afraid of them; the LORD your God himself will fight for you.” (Deut. 3:22)

We may forget at times but one thing is true - this world is a battlefield. Day by day, hour by hour, we face a spiritual war and an enemy who’s real. He wants nothing more than to bring defeat, for his main aim is to steal, kill, and destroy.

God has a plan for our lives. The enemy has a plan for us too. We just have to decide which voice we’re going to listen to, and who we're going to choose to follow each day. And chances are, if we don't make a determined choice to follow God, we may eventually fall into the evil one’s trap.

God has given us his Word and Spirit, powerful and true, so we'll have the wisdom and protection to stand against the enemy. We focus today on putting on His armor, staying alert, and praying that God will equip believers everywhere to "stand strong."

"Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms."

"Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and sword of the Spirit which is the word of God. And pray in the Spirit on all occasions, with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” (Eph. 6:10-18)

Pray with me: 

Dear God, today we put on the full armor to guard our lives against attack. We put on the belt of truth to protect against lies and deception. We put on the breastplate of righteousness to protect our hearts from the temptations we battle. We put the gospel of peace on our feet, so we’re ready to take your light wherever you send us this day. We choose to walk in the peace and freedom of your Spirit and not be overcome with fear and anxious thoughts. We take up your shield of faith that will extinguish all the darts and threats hurled our way by the enemy. We believe in your power to protect us and choose to trust in you. We put on the helmet of salvation, which covers our minds and thoughts, reminding us we are children of the day, forgiven, set free, saved by the grace of Christ Jesus. We take up the sword of the Spirit, your very Word, the one offensive weapon given to us for battle, which has the power to demolish strongholds, alive, active, and sharper than any double-edged sword.

We ask for your help in remembering to put on your full armor every day, for you give us all that we need to stand firm in this world. Forgive us God for the times we’ve been unprepared, too busy to care, or trying to fight and wrestle in our own strength.

Thank you that we never fight alone, for you are constantly at work on our behalf, shielding, protecting, strengthening, exposing deeds of darkness, bringing to light what needs to be known, covering us from the cruel attacks we face even when we’re unaware. In the powerful name of Jesus, Amen.