We Really Are In Secure Hands!

Harry Ironside (a Canadian-American Bible teacher) stated that salvation was like Noah inviting a pagan in his day to place his trust in God's Word and come in to the ark. Some view salvation like Noah offering to put a peg on the outside of the ark. "If you just hang on through the storm, you'll be saved." Salvation is not dependent on our holding on to God, but on our being securely held by and in Christ.

Do you think we live in a secure world? If you don’t, you’re not alone. And let’s face it, there isn't much reason to feel secure about our world. There is conflict in the Middle East. There are guns and metal detectors in big city and inner city schools. People wonder and worry about what some scientists predict is an inevitable pandemic. We are surrounded by enemies we can’t even see and by some that we can see. Given the state of our world there is plenty of reason to feel insecure.

The story is told of a monastery in Portugal perched high on a 3,000 foot cliff accessible only by a terrifying ride in a swaying basket. The basket is pulled with a single rope by several strong men, sweating under the strain. One American tourist who visited the site got nervous halfway up the cliff when he noticed that the rope was old and frayed. Hoping to relieve his fear he asked, “How often do you change the rope?” The monk in charge replied, “Whenever it breaks!” Well, in this life many of the things people turn to for security feel like one of those old and fraying ropes—and they’re just waiting for it to break.

But you would think that God’s people would always feel secure. After all, we don’t base our security on global security or job security; we base our security on a God who promises, according to Jesus, that no one and nothing can snatch us from our Father’s hand (John 10:27). We are secure in the hands of a loving and gracious God who holds us tightly—and so it is in this promise that we trust.

Or do we? Or do we sometimes wonder about our own security? We hear the phrase “eternal security” and ask whether it applies to us. Do we really believe that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Jesus Christ our Lord? Maybe all of us here do. That would be ideal. But I imagine that many of us have felt at times that maybe we've slipped off the path of the righteous, have backslidden in our faith, and are no longer so secure in the hands of God. As a result we feel as insecure about our faith as we do about everything else.

Our feelings of doubt are not the only thing that shakes our sense of security in God—pain and suffering do a good job of this too. Bad stuff happens, and we wonder how we can trust in God’s secure care if such care doesn't keep such bad stuff from happening. The reality of pain and suffering provides theologians with some of the biggest and most unanswerable questions.

How can a God who is infinitely loving and powerful permit the reality of evil and suffering? The technical theological phrase to describe the intellectual attempt to deal with such questions is theodicy. But no matter what kinds of answers theologians come up with, they never satisfy the heart. We can still be shaken.

In John 17 Jesus prays for his disciples. In verses 11 and 15 we have these words: “Holy Father, protect them in your name . . . I am not asking you to take them out of the world, but I ask you to protect them from the evil one.” Do we not believe that God the Father listens to God the Son—if this is Jesus’ prayer for us, why then should we worry, be anxious and feel so insecure about our salvation?

The last line of Psalm 125 reads, “Peace be upon Israel.” This is a prayer that God will bring peace and security—another way of translating this loosely might be to say: “Relax! You are secure and in God’s hands!”

Scripture: Revelation 21:4; 1 Peter 5:6-7; Philippians 4:6; John 14:27; Matthew 5:4; Proverbs 14:32; Psalm 73:26; Psalm 55:22; Psalm 48:14

-Special thanks to Derek Melanson  

Prayer: Almighty God, give us such a vision of your purpose and such an assurance of  your love and power, that we may ever hold fast the hope which is in Jesus Christ our Lord who is alive with you and the Holy Spirit, one God now and for ever. Amen  

Have a blessed day, 

Trish

Move from Desperation to Destiny!

One of my mentors, Dr. Harold E. O'Chester, had many dreams for his first family. But while on his way to a preaching engagement many years ago he lost his wife, the baby in her womb, and two other children in a car accident. One of the great heroic preachers of our day, Dr. Adrian Rogers, had dreams for each of his children. But he buried one of his babies years ago after death.

One of the greatest soul-winners I know, Dr. Darrell Robinson, buried his first wife to cancer. My friend, Ike Reighard, expecting his first child, ended up burying his first baby and wife after she died in cardiac arrest in the delivery room. You see, God always creates desperation in people's lives.  -excerpted from "When God Creates Desperation In Your Life" by Ronnie Floyd. 

I believe God is in control of everything. I believe God is committed to getting all of His children lined up in total commitment to Him. He accomplishes this many times by creating desperation in your life. That desperation may be created by loss of job, loss of health, loss of a friend, loss of money or business or land, marriage, loss of a spouse, a family member, or even a child.

Do any of these sound familiar to you? Have you ever found yourself surrounded by people that didn't mean you any good… Perhaps you've found yourself overwhelmed with financial stress and strain… Perhaps you've found yourself going through some type of personal problem within your family life that has caused you to find yourself trapped in the difficulty and dilemma of desperation?

Have you gotten to a point in life where it seems as if the enemy has kept you from the destiny that God has ordained for you? Have you gotten to the point where you’re just about ready to give up? Does it seems like your gumption is gone… Your hope has been halted… Your faith has faltered… And your victory has vanished?

So many times we give up and settle for anything instead of receiving all that God has for us… We blame it on past failures… Past heartaches… Past bitter experiences… But if you’re going to move to your destiny, you've got to let go of the past! We've got to stop allowing the enemy to convince us to return to the things that God has already brought us out of!

If you’re going to move from a desperation to destiny, it’s going to take some effort on your part. There are going to be some prerequisites that must be met... If you’re going to reach your destiny… If you plan to move from desperation to destiny, you've got to…

• Let go of the past. It’s funny how we are constantly living in the past. It’s funny how we concentrate on how things used to be, what we used to have… What we used to do… There’s nothing wrong with memories… It’s good to reminisce, but I want to let you know that you can’t move forward by living in the past…We can never move forward, if we keep looking backwards...The Lord has been constantly proving Himself to us, taking us through dangers seen and unseen. Yet every time He tries to take us to the next level, we stand there looking over our shoulder in retrospect, mulling over the past. The Word of God says that we have to be transformed by the renewing of our mind! It’s only by our renewed thinking that we can move from desperation to our destiny that God has called us to have! 
• Secondly, if you’re going reach your destiny, you've got to look to your faith. Don’t be afraid… Don’t allow the enemy to keep you in the confinement of fear… For fear is NOT of the Lord… In fact fear is OPPOSITE of faith! In spite of all God’s done for us... In spite of the dangers He’s seen us through... We've got to learn how to look to our faith...! Because when you look to your faith you’ll be able to stand still. We've got to learn how to let the Lord fight our battles… We've got to allow God to move in His own time. So many times we want to put God on our own schedule… We want Him to move at our every beck and call… But you need to learn how to wait on God.
• Finally, you've got to launch forward. If you want reach your destiny... If you want to attain and achieve all that God has for you, you've got to launch forward… Into Kingdom Principles… For just as Jesus told the disciples in Luke 5:4 to "Launch out into the deep and lay down your nets for a catch…" I hear the Lord telling us we've got to launch out into the sea of life… And lay down our nets…. Lay down your mindset… Lay down your way of thinking… Lay down your attitude and perception of things… And receive your catch! 

My dear friends, we've got to learn how to go forward in the things of God. If you really want to go forward, you've got to learn how to move at His command. Learn how to go forward in His…

I. Presence: (David & Goliath, 3 Hebrew Boys) 

II. Power: (2 Timothy 1:7, Philippians 4:13)

III. Promise: (Joshua 1:15, Matthew 28:20)

Just launch forward; no matter what comes your way! It’s not that God doesn't want to move, but He’s waiting for you to move in faith!

Scripture: Psalms 46:10; 2 Chronicles 20:17; Isaiah 40:31; 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Hebrews 7:25; James 4:7

Prayer: Lord God, I pray that you will fill my heart with the blessing of your Holy Spirit. Grant me this day the strength to be temperate in all things, diligent in my duties, and patient under my afflictions. Direct me in all my ways. Give me grace to be just and upright in all my dealings; quiet and peaceable; full of compassion; and ready to do good to all people, according to my abilities and opportunities. For the sake of my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen

May your day be blessed, 

Dina

Be Thankful for the Unchanging Glories of God

  The Colorado Springs doctor who was rescued by SEAL Team 6 in Afghanistan said he has deep appreciation for the officer who was killed during the mission."My heart goes out to the family of the fallen hero for his service, commitment and courage," Dr. Dilip Joseph said.

Joseph works with Morning Star Development, a Colorado Springs-based nonprofit founded in 2002, focused on economic and community development, primarily in Afghanistan. The organization is not a religious-missions organization but is faith-based, with Christians and Muslims on staff.

Joseph and two other Morning Star employees were abducted Dec. 5 by Taliban insurgents. The other two were released after successful negotiations. Military officers moved in when intelligence indicated Joseph's life was in imminent danger.

Petty Officer 1st Class Nicolas D. Checque, 28, died from combat-related injuries on the mission, the Defense Department said in a previous statement.

Checque, who was from the Pittsburgh area, was part of the elite SEAL Team 6 — the same group credited with killing Osama bin Laden in 2011. It remains unclear if he was part of that mission.

Joseph has made several trips to Afghanistan and said Friday he "will continue to pray and hope for its peace and long-term stability."

Because of "ongoing security issues," he said he will not be available for direct interviews, though he did say he has been in contact with the sailor's family and will work on ways to honor his service.

"I ... deeply value the sacrifice of one of their own servicemen for the success of this mission," he said.
-Denver Post, December 21, 2012, Jason Pohl 

If there is one sin that most prevalent today, it is the sin of ingratitude. God does so much for us. Our indebtedness to him is enormous and yet we rarely or at least infrequently offer thanks for what he has done.

In fact, most professing Christians don’t even offer thanks over their meals much less offer thanks over all that God does in their lives. For a child of God thankfulness is not confined to a day or a season, it is an attitude that we should have everyday and every hour.

One of the most explicit Bible verses related to the matter of thanksgiving is 1 Thessalonians 5:18. This verses says, "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." This verse commands believers to give thanks to the Lord, not FOR everything, but IN everything! There is a big difference there! Certainly, we ought to be thankful, not just because we are told to be thankful, but because we have much to be thankful for!

However, I have discovered that thankfulness is a very fickle thing. Often, our thankfulness focuses on things that are physical in nature. We are thankful for our health. We are thankful for our families and our homes. We are thankful for our financial stability. We are thankful for the things we have.

Yet, all of these things are subject to change. Think about it, health can break, families can split up and bank accounts can run dry. What do we do then? How does that affect our thankfulness?

I'd like to suggest that we remain thankful for all the physical blessings we enjoy, and that we learn to look beyond those changing things to some things that never change. I would also like to share a few of those unchanging blessings with you.

The following verses tell us of just a few of the unchanging glories of our Lord! The things revealed here are causes for thankfulness at all times...

• (Hebrews 13:5) His Abiding Presence - Regardless of where the path of life leads, the saint of God will never walk alone.
• (Hebrews 13:6) His Assisting Presence - When we are in need, the Lord runs to our aid.
• (Hebrews 13:8 His Anchoring Presence - Jesus never changes! What He was then is what He is now! From before creation on into eternity, Jesus has never, nor will He ever change! He is still "I AM!" 
• (Hebrews 13:9) The Price Of Our Salvation - We can thank God that salvation is given without cost. It is purely the operation of grace! 
• (Hebrews 13:12) The Pain Of Our Salvation - For us the price was low, for God, the price was unimaginable! Our salvation cost God the life of His Son, John 3:16. His death on the cross is what provided salvation for you and me! 
• (Hebrews 13:12) The Purpose Of Our Salvation - We are told here that He suffered the death He did so that He might "sanctify the people." He died to take vile sinners out of their sins and set them apart from this world for the glory of God.
• (Hebrews 13:13) This verse calls for us to do on the outside what He has already done on the inside. That is, He has set us apart inwardly through the redemption of the blood of Jesus. He call to us is that we willingly take our stand with Jesus on the outside of society.
• (Hebrews 13:14) We are reminded that we are living in a world that is constantly changing. If all of our hopes are placed in this world and in the physical realm, then we are going to be disappointed more than we will be happy. However, the child of God can rejoice in the fact that this world is not the end all, tell all of our Christian experience! Verse 14 tells us that there is something better just down the road!

In closing, Let's be thankful for all the things He gives us. Let us praise Him for our health, our families, our financial blessings and so on. Let's not take them for granted. But, let us learn to be more thankful for those things which we can never lose! Let's learn to be ever thankful for those things that cannot change! 

When all the physical blessings have faded and we can find no reason for praise in them, let us thank the Lord that there are some things that will never change! In these things we have an unchanging reason for eternal thanksgiving!

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:17; Isaiah 55:1; Revelation 22:17; John 14:16; Matthew 28:18, 20: Isaiah 41:10

Prayer: Lord, there are marvelous things that I do not know, nor can I comprehend. Lord, things that happen in my life, and things that happen in my friends lives. Lord, I desire to be thankful, to appreciate everything that comes across my path. Lord, so often life hurts, I get angry -- upset, I do not understand, yet Lord You ask me to be thankful for everything, and have faith – thank You.

God bless you,

Beth

Forgive As God Forgives!

Thirty years after stealing from a Kmart in Ohio, a shoplifter has found a way to ask for forgiveness and help some families in need, too.

The retailer’s president, Rob Boire, recently received a handwritten note from an anonymous –- and contrite –- man who admitted to stealing somewhere between $140 and $270 worth of merchandise from a Kmart store in Cincinnati, WLWT reports. Along with his apology note, the penitent included a $1,000 money order.

"Please accept this money order in repayment," the man wrote. "Your acceptance would be most appreciated. I am now God's child."

Kmart says that all is forgiven and the Cincinnati store has decided to use the money to help struggling families pay their layaway bills.   -The Huffington Post, December 18, 2012, Eleanor Goldberg

Forgiveness. Easy for some, not so easy for others. Today, we will look at some attitudes and actions that are involved in practicing forgiveness. The points that I will be trying to clarify are two-fold:

The first, is that each person should be able to understand the proper attitude to have toward someone who is need of and seeks forgiveness. Secondly, is that each of  us soberly contemplates their need for forgiveness from God in relationship to another’s need for forgiveness from them.

Under the Old Law, there was a remembrance of sin (Hebrews 10:1-4, 16-18). This was so because the blood of bulls and goats could never take away sin. But, we are now under a new covenant. And under this covenant, sins are not remembered. Under this covenant sins are forgiven.

Similarly, to live under this new covenant of forgiveness, we must practice forgiveness. I think we all know that sometimes it's a lot harder to forgive someone than to ask for forgiveness. In fact, this might be a good time to talk a few moments about practicing forgiveness.

Keep in mind here that repentance must precede forgiveness; however it is not our purpose to talk about the conditions of forgiveness presently. We shall save that for a future date.

Now, in order to practice forgiveness we must first recognize that God’s forgiveness of us is dependent upon our forgiveness of others (Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 6:14, 15; Matthew 18:23-35).

Next, we should respect the value of the one who needs forgiveness, as God respects that value (Romans 5:6-10' Matthew 18:11-13).

Also, we should act toward the one forgiven as we would want God to act toward us  (Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12, 13).

Lastly, we should make every effort to forgive as God forgives, by forgetting the trespass (Psalm 103:10-12; Hebrews 10:16-18).

In conclusion, ask yourself this, "Are you practicing forgiveness in your life?" Recognize that God’s forgiveness of us depends upon our forgiveness of others. You should respect the value of those who need forgiveness as God respected you. Act toward the one forgiven as God would act toward us. In other words, forgive as God forgives, forget.

Here is an invitation for you...if you are a Christian but have fallen away, you are in need of forgiveness. Won’t you come back to the Father who is waiting for you to return even now? Your brothers and sisters want to forgive you. Repent today.

If you are not a Christian today…God wants to forgive you, but you must accept his forgiveness.

Scripture: 1 Peter 4:8; 1 John 4:18; Luke 6:37; Proverbs 17:9;  Romans 5:5; Matthew 9:6-8; John 13:35; Mark 11:25; Micah 7:18-19; Numbers 14:19-21

Prayer: Forgive me my sins, O Lord; forgive me the sins of my youth and the sins of mine age, the sins of my soul and the sins of my body, my secret and my whispering sins, the sins I have done to please myself and the sins I have done to please others. Forgive those sins which I know, and the sins which I know not; forgive them, O Lord, forgive them all of Thy great goodness. Amen

Have a blessed day!

Brandi

Apology To Our Readers!

Letter of Apology

Dear faithful readers of Bible Study Snacks,

Due to a mix-up (and oversight) we did not post Sheri's latest installment of her Bible Study Snacks series this past Friday! This was due to no fault of her own. I take the blame for this one! I sincerely apologize to all of you who use her (Sheri's) weekly blog entries for your personal and group studies, and for any inconvenience this might have caused. You will find last Friday's installment posted below this message. Thank you!

May the Lord bless you,

~Eve

Bible Study Snacks, Acts 14:21-28

Hi, everyone!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to another presentation of Bible Study Snacks! As always, I thank you so much for joining me as we walk together through the richness of God's spoken word, and wisdom. I pray that today finds you in good health and strong in faith!

This week, I would like to continue our study of the Book of Acts, with Chapter Fourteen, Verses 21-28.

I have designed these studies to be brief, yet packed full of good information for everyone regardless of your level of biblical knowledge. I might add that these quick studies make perfect small group discussion starters, as well!

As always, I whole-heartedly believe in the importance that any Bible study should begin with prayer. If you have your Bible ready, let's pray together...

Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen

If you are taking notes for yourself, or using this for a bible study with others, here are the objectives for this week's lesson...

OBJECTIVES: This week, the reader will...

1) Travel with Paul and Barnabas as they 

give special attention to their appointment of elders in every 

church. 

 

For your convenience, here is a summary Acts 14:21-28  

From Derbe, Paul and Barnabas retrace their steps, strengthen the disciples in Lystra, Iconium and Antioch (Pisidia) and appoint elders in every church with prayer and fasting. Passing through Pisidia they come to Pamphylia where they preach the gospel in Perga. From there they go down to Attalia and then sail to Antioch (Syria) from where they began their journey, where they report to the church all that God has done with them. There they stay for "a long time" (21-28).

REVIEW QUESTIONS:  

1) What happened in Derbe?  When they left, where did they go? (Acts 14:21)
2) What did they do as they made their way through such cities? (Acts 14:22-23)
3) Where they go after passing through Pisidia? What did they do there? (Acts 14:24-25)
4) From where did they then sail? (Acts 14:25-26)
5) What is significant about Antioch of Syria? (Acts 14:26)
6) What did Paul and Barnabas do upon their arrival? (Acts 14:27)
7) How long did Paul and Barnabas remain in Antioch of Syria? (Acts 14:28)

After completing this week's study, go back and read through the material again. Take your time and read each topic and scripture reference as many times as you feel necessary. Keep in mind that by doing this, you just might see something new that you overlooked the first time around!

As we journey through the Bible together, I will continue to pray that God’s message will come through to you loud and crystal clear. Until next time, I wish everyone a blessed week!

God bless you!  

Sheri

Saturday Scripture Gold with Bibi: Jesus is God’s Final and Greatest Word!

"In the past God spoke to our forefathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways," -Hebrews 1:1

"..but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, and through whom he made the universe." -Hebrews 1:2

In the first two verses of Hebrews (Hebrews 1:1-2), you see that Jesus brings a revelation superior to that of the prophets of old. God, who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets, has in these last days spoken to us by His Son...

It’s important to note here that God condescends in order to speak to people. He is the One who takes the initiative and chooses to speak to us, His creation. God doesn't owe it to us. He’s not obligated to speak just as He’s not obligated to save. To think that God is powerful and awesome in every way and at the same time lowers Himself in order to speak to us is an amazing thought. He cares about us and wants to communicate His love and mercy to us.

As we think about how God spoke before Christ, we should understand that He spoke in various ways. This is what the writer is getting at. God spoke through visions, dreams, and face to face with the prophets but when God spoke to the people; He spoke through the prophet that He appointed.

He spoke to Moses in the burning bush (Exodus 3:2ff), He spoke to Elijah in a still small voice (1 Kings 19:12ff), to Isaiah in a vision in the temple (Isaiah 6), Amos in a basket of summer fruit (Amos 8). He spoke to these prophets in various ways and then the prophets spoke to the people.

If we are to understand anything about God, He must reveal Himself to us. We are desperately in need of revelation. Humans do not have this kind of knowledge within themselves. Innate knowledge of God is non-existent within us.

Just look at all the crazy ideas out there floating around about God. Whenever people try to speak intelligently about God without relying on His revelation people speak falsely.

Even if one goes to the Old Testament and tries to get a clear picture of God, one comes away, at best, with a fragmentary picture. We can get somewhat of a picture of our Redeemer Jesus Christ when we look to Boaz, Ruth and Naomi’s redeemer. However, this picture is not complete. It is simply a shadow or an unclear image.

Remember, the OT is about Jesus but it is in fragments. The idea that the OT is about Jesus sometimes is hard to believe and at times meets with resistance. Jesus knew this to be true and so did Luke writing in Acts.

For Jesus and the first Christians, their Bible contained only the books that we now call the Old Testament. Like us, they taught that the Bible is the word of God. Many different people were its human authors. But they did not merely write down their own thoughts, like any other book. Instead, they wrote words that came from God himself (2 Peter 1:20-21).

That is why the first Christians described the authors of the Old Testament as ‘prophets’. A prophet is someone who speaks (or writes) God’s word. He declares God’s messages.

The first Christians even described people like David as prophets. We do not usually call David a prophet today. But Peter did (Acts 2:29-30). And Peter added that David had described future events (Acts 2:31). God showed David what would happen to Christ.

The author of the Book of Hebrews teaches that this is true about each Old Testament book. A book may seem to be about history, for example 2 Samuel. Or it may seem only to contain songs and prayers, like Psalms. It may seem to be about law, like Deuteronomy. Or it may seem to be about rules for ceremonies, like Leviticus. But the author of Hebrews shows how passages from these books are really about Jesus.

The Old Testament authors did not always know that they were writing about Jesus. But God’s Holy Spirit showed them what they should write. And that was how they could write these things.

My beloved, what we hold in our hands today, God’s Word, is our sufficient source of eternal knowledge. The Bible is God’s final, decisive word to the world. If we are to know God, then we must come to His Word for instruction.

We must recognize that God has nothing more to say to us, than what He says to us in His Son-the revelation of which we have in the New Testament. Jesus is the final prophet. Jesus is God’s final and greatest Word!

Scripture: Luke 24:44; Acts 28:23; 1 Peter 1:10-12; Isaiah 55:11; John 12:41

Now, let's pray...

O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for in thy name's sake. Amen

Until next time...

Have a blessed week!

Bibi

Video: "Ya Mo Be There" - James Ingram and Michael McDonald

A friend of mine recently reminded me of a song that came out back in 1984. The name of the song is, "Ya Mo Be There" by James Ingram and Michael McDonald. The video and lyrics combine to share an inspirational message with us all. Enjoy!   ~Eve

Prayer, An Honest Conversation with God

Prayer is surrender--surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boat-hook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.   -E. Stanley Jones, Liberating Ministry From The Success Syndrome, K Hughes, Tyndale, 1988, p. 73. 

Quite simply, prayer is an honest conversation with God. Prayer has the power to change things in your life for the better. Through prayer, you can experience a miraculous turnaround, an unexplained intervention, an incredible event or an unexpected outcome.

So which of the following are you currently asking God for?

• Lord, I need a healing...
• Lord, please protect me...
• Lord, please bless me...
• Lord, please direct my path...
• Lord, please forgive me...

If you’re like me, then you’re asking God to heal, bless, protect, guide and forgive!

God has awesome power. After all, He created the world. You could say that He really does have the whole world in His hands. But despite His awesome power, there are times when we unfortunately doubt the Lord. Here are some situations that cause us to doubt Him.

• Sudden tragedy or loss...
• When something happens that we just don't understand...
• Prayers that aren't answered in the way we want...
• Prayers that aren't answered fast enough...
• Overwhelming life situations and problems...
• When bad things happen to good people...
• When good things happen to bad people...

We must strengthen our faith in God, especially when things get tough in life. We must have confidence that the Lord will intervene in the situation. Through your relationship with God, you have more power than you realize.

We all want our prayers to be effective, don't we? In today's message, we will examine a couple of  Bible characters who had their prayers answered by God. By examining their successful prayers, hopefully we can enhance the effectiveness of our communication with the Lord.

Now, read Mark 5:21-42; a dead girl and a sick woman's request for healing. What do you think we can we learn from the success that these bible characters had with the requests they made of Christ?

The sick woman displayed confidence in the Lord. She knew she would be healed if she connected with Him. We must be confident in Him. It appeared that the young girl was dead, but with the help of Christ, she lived. With the help of Christ, it’s never as bad as it looks. Christ told the woman that her faith had healed her. Our requests are granted according to the faith we have. If we have strong faith, in His Word, He says that our requests will be granted.

Scripture: 1 Timothy 2:8; Hebrews 13:18; James 4:8-10; 1 Peter 3:12; 1 John 3:22-24; Philippians 4:6-7; Romans 12:12

Prayer: "Bestow upon me, O Lord my God, understanding to know thee, diligence to seek thee, wisdom to find thee, and a faithfulness that may finally embrace thee."     -Thomas Aquinas 

May God always bless you!

Jean

The Believer's Inheritance

Officials in Carson City, Nev., have declared a California woman the rightful owner of $7.4 million in gold coins found in the home of her late cousin.

City Clerk-Recorder Alan Glover said a month's worth of genealogical research determined Arlene Magdon, a first cousin to the late Walter Samasko Jr., was the only living relative of the man, who died in May, the Las Vegas Sun reported.

Glover said the money is likely to be released around the middle of 2013.

Samasko was discovered to have been keeping the 2,695 gold coins, some of which dated back to the 1880s, in boxes in his garage.

Glover said other parties attempting to claim the coins included a Florida man who said he was secret agent who suffered a head injury and only recently remembered he was related to Samasko.  -UPI, December 13, 2012

An inheritance is something that a person comes into possession of because of his relationship with another. It is not something that is earned; it is a gift. The believer's inheritance includes life itself. By receiving Christ as Savior, the believer inherits eternal life. 

Jesus said, "He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (John 5:24).

The inheritance of the believer also includes everything he needs for his life. The believer is actually a citizen of heaven who is on a pilgrim journey on earth. However, God has made all spiritual blessings available to the believer.

Paul told believers, "All things belong to you, and you belong to Christ; and Christ belongs to God" (1 Corinthians 3:22,23, NASB).

God's riches made available to the believer are also emphasized in 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?"

Our present blessings are only a small part of our spiritual inheritance, which is to be received in full in the future.

The moment one receives Christ as Savior he is placed as a mature son into the family of God and becomes an heir of an inheritance that is beyond human comprehension.

We are to let Christ reign in our lives now, but our full spiritual inheritance includes being with Christ and reigning with Him throughout eternity.

"To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you" (1 Peter 1:4).

When you believe on the Lord Jesus Christ you become a possessor of things---immediately---that you could never possess any other way! That's why people are so foolish to shut God out of their lives.

How many people today, if they could fall heir to a million dollars, would do anything in the WORLD to come to that place where it would be their right to receive that million dollars!

Dear friends, God, by our faith in the Lord Jesus, makes us HEIR of all that He has! We become immensely wealthy when we simply believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. How can it get any better than that?

Scripture: Ephesians 1:18; Colossians 3:23-24; Titus 3:7;  Proverbs 20:21; Galatians 5:19-21;  Psalm 16:6; Luke 16:11; Acts 26:18; Luke 12:10; Proverbs 21:20

Prayer: O My God, relying on Thy almighty power and infinite mercy and promises, I hope to obtain pardon of my sins, the help of Thy grace, and Life Everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, my Lord and Redeemer.   

Have a blessed day!

Ramona 

We Become Compassionate Only By Doing!

A Plano, Texas, police officer wrapped a traffic ticket for an expired registration in a $100 bill after pulling over a man who was down on his luck.

Hayden Carlo said he was driving when an officer pulled him over for an expired registration. The father of two young children told the officer he had no excuse, except to admit he simply didn't have the money.

"You get paid, pay your bills, and there's your money. It's gone," Carlo told KTVT-TV, Dallas/Fort Worth. "I said 'there's no explanation for why I haven't done it, except I don't have the money.' I said 'it was either feed my kids or get my registration done.' "

The officer, who has asked to remain anonymous, handed Carlo a traffic ticket envelope. Inside was a $100 bill.  "He helped me out when I needed it and I appreciate that. I'll never forget that man," Carlo says. "It definitely restored my faith in God."     -UPI, December 12, 2012 

What is the principal evidence that compassion has been extended? What does compassion leave in its wake? The most significant consequence of compassion in action is, it alleviates suffering. It lifts people's burdens and makes life more tolerable. And that's what Jesus was all about.

Christ has often been called, "The Man of Compassion." And that's because He entered the arena of human suffering and lifted burdens. That's what mercy is. Mercy is more than an emotional experience of feeling someone's pain it's doing what's possible to alleviate it. Compassion is action!

Jesus couldn't look at people without being stirred to intervene. And He was specifically moved when people experienced pain, sickness, and sorrow. He was moved when people were hungry or lonely or confused.

When we read the Gospels, they tell us of Jesus and His great compassion for mankind. We see that our Savior was moved deeply in His inner being by the needs of those around Him. Jesus' ministry was filled with acts of compassion. Think of how many times we find him healing people who are physically sick, delivering people who have spiritual oppression, feeding people, doing miracles to feed people.

Jesus makes it clear that He expects His followers to care for those who are needy – “The least of these my brothers and sisters.” Jesus said when you help the “least of these,” you are in fact serving Jesus. The Lord is especially close to us, actually dwelling inside of us, when we have compassion on others, when we love and care for one another the same way He loves and cares for us.

We cannot be compassionate when we are in truth alone, when we know truths but do not act on them in our daily lives. We become compassionate, loving, and caring toward others only when we do the good works the Lord teaches us in the Word.

Because to do them (good works) we have to quit being selfish and materialistic to have time and energy to do for others. When we do good works, then the Lord fills us with love and compassion for others. When we have compassion for others, we enter into a closer relationship with the Lord.

The Heavenly Doctrines teach us that when we feel pity or compassion toward others, the Lord enters into us with an influx of love. This is said to be an admonition, a kind of suggestion or command from the Lord to reach out to another person. "When those who are in perception feel compassion," we read, "they know that they are being admonished by the Lord to give aid" (Arcana Coelestia 6737).

You see, when we feel compassion, we are being urged and prompted by the Lord to act. This is one outstanding way of experiencing the Lord in our lives.

Scripture: Mark 1:40-42; Psalm 145:8,9; Luke 7:13; Psalm 111:4,5; Ephesians 4:32; Colossians 3:12-13; 2 Corinthians 1:3-4; Galatians 6:2

Prayer: Lord, open our eyes that we may see you in our brothers and sisters. Lord, open our ears that we may hear the cries of the hungry, the cold, the frightened, the oppressed. Lord, open our hearts that we may love each other as you love us. Renew in us your spirit. Lord, free us and make us one. Amen  -Mother Teresa

May God always be with you,

CarrieAnn

We Must Face Adversity Head On

Lisa Whelchel's wish to be on the TV reality series, "Survivor: Philippines" came true this year, but it may not have been everything she hoped, according to her brother. Justice Coleman, Whelchel's younger brother, visited her on the set and said he "was not prepared to see her at that level of desperation."

"It was immediately obvious she had hit rock bottom," Coleman told People magazine. "I wasn't expecting her to be at the end of her rope. I almost didn't recognize her. She looked absolutely ragged: physically and emotionally torn up. I was imagining a big smile on her face, since she was so deep into the game and doing so well but she started crying so hard. I was legitimately concerned for her."

The actress often relied on her faith to get her through the tougher moments of the game and made no qualms about her religious beliefs. However, at the same time "Survivor" aired, news broke that Whelchel and her husband of 24 years had divorced, making it an even harder year for the Christian actress who often spoke about having a faithful, Christian marriage.

Just last month, Whelchel announced that she was battling West Nile virus, which she said, "takes a year to recover. I'm fine, just tired," she assured fans. But the virus certainly did not help Whelchel's physical stamina, which was severely tested during her time on "Survivor."

Through it all, though, Whelchel has maintained a sense of grace and humor. She took to Twitter to announce the publication of her brother's article in People but warned fans, "Ignore the hideous picture of the crazy woman doing the 'ugly cry.' But my brother is awesome!"  -Christian Post, December 6, 2012, Sami K. Martin

Overcoming adversity is part of the human predicament. Thus, to confront adversity and/or trials of any description is a spiritual exercise that will separate the weak from the strong. Some Christians feel they are automatically immunized from adversity of any kind. Some have said "all these trials and hardships show that God is missing."

Since the beginning of time the heroes of faith have always had to deal with adversity. This includes men like Abraham, Moses, Daniel, Peter, Paul and others. My friends, are we any better than the aforementioned saints? Certainly not! We must not be immersed in self-pity or feel sorry for ourselves when confronted with life's hardships.

Those of us who have been thrust into the lion's den of adversity must come to grip with it and face it head-on. The apostle Paul declared, "Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21). Overcoming the trials and tribulations of life means we place our ultimate trust in God. "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart: and lean not unto thine own understanding" (Proverbs 3:5). This means we will depend on God via prayer (James 5:16).

Daily praying and trusting in our eternal God will help immeasurably when coupled with a rich study of God's word (Psalm 119:105; Hebrews 4:12). We must not underestimate the power resource that is available to us. Other than the aforementioned tools we must never forget the strength that is derived through family, friends and brethren. We must utilize these if we would overcome calamities in our lives.

Overcoming adversity comes with some positive blessings. Persevering and enduring hardship will certainly bring patience. As the scriptures tell us, "Knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience (James 1:3). Job, who faced adversity that we can only imagine, was a faithful patriarch that would not get sidetracked when hardships appeared at his door.

As it is written, "you have heard of the patience of Job and seen the end intended by the Lord..." (James 5:11). We must emulate Job and refuse to let adversity swallow us like the great fish swallowed Jonah. Overcoming adversity will give us a closer relationship with God that will ultimately lead us to our heavenly home (John 14:1-3).

Yes, we all face hardships and tribulations of various descriptions. Therefore giving up and abandoning God is no option. Overcoming adversity with good is the best policy.

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:8-9; Philippians 4:12-13; 2 Corinthians 12:9; 1 Peter 5:8; 1 Peter 4:1; James 1:12;

Prayer: Father, You grow and stretch our maturity through circumstances that don’t always reflect our choosing. It helps us to gain needed perspective and experience in situations not of our own choosing, but to our overall benefit. Help us to be patient as we search Your Scripture and seek to understand Your plan as it unfolds in our lives. Align our desires with Your own as we submit our will to Yours. May we not be overcome by adversity but ask You, Father, to use adversity as a tool by which You carve Your image and character deep into our hearts. We may make our plans but we realize that, as Your children, You will have the final say. Amen.

-thanks to Bob Spurlin   

Have a blessed day,

Kenna

Saturday Scripture Gold with Bibi: Bring Your Anger to the Lord

Welcome, and thank you for joining me today!

Jim Taylor in Currents tells the following story about his friend, Ralph Milton: One morning Ralph woke up at five o'clock to a noise that sounded like someone repairing boilers on his roof. Still in his pajamas, he went into the back yard to investigate. He found a woodpecker on the TV antenna, "pounding its little brains out on the metal pole."

Angry at the little creature who ruined his sleep, Ralph picked up a rock and threw it. The rock sailed over the house, and he heard a distant crash as it hit the car. In utter disgust, Ralph took a vicious kick at a clod of dirt, only to remember -- too late -- that he was still in his bare feet. Uncontrolled anger, as Ralph leaned, can sometimes be its own reward.

Question: "What makes YOU angry, and is that a good thing or a bad one?"

The ten root words for anger appear 259 times in the Bible, and if you add in the references to rage or violence or other synonyms, you are well over 400 references in no time at all. One of the Hebrew root words means "nostril" or "nose," so when it says God is slow to anger it literally says God is "long of nose." Other words refer to "heat like the sun's heat" or to "the poison of serpents." In the Bible, anger is a smelly, nasty thing.

But don't we also know anger as a normal human emotion? Isn't it a logical reaction to pain or injury and perhaps to fear and even danger? Aren't there gender issues with the expression of anger? Men are allowed to show it and women not so much so. Or in some contexts is it the exact opposite? Aren't there also victim and perpetrator issues with this emotion? That is, doesn't the appropriate anger that reacts to the pain of injury help a victim to become a survivor in many instances? Doesn't anger equalize imbalanced power situations?

You could add a whole list of questions to the ones I've asked. And you could notice that in my words and in our culture, the lines between anger, outrage, rage, and violence get blurred, or perhaps I should say that in addition to getting blurred, they exist on a continuum that is not always clearly marked. Anger appears in many forms, and it means many things.

The fact is we all get angry from time to time. The problem is we don’t always control our anger as we should. Often, our anger controls us and before we know it, our anger has caused devastation and destruction on a scale we never imagined.  Someone said, “Anger like fire, finally dies out - but only after leaving a path of destruction.”

That is the danger of anger. That is why the Bible has much to say to the believer about controlling the temper. Allow me to present a few Bible verses that touch on this issue: Ephesians 4:26; Psalm 37:8; Proverbs 14:29; Proverbs 19:11; Ecclesiastes 5:22.

Although Alexander the Great conquered the known world, he couldn't conquer his own temper. On one occasion, Cletus, a childhood friend and a general in Alexander's army, became drunk and insulted the leader in front of his men. Alexander became enraged and hurled a spear at Cletus, intending merely to scare him. Instead, the spear killed Alexander's life-long friend. Remorse engulfed Alexander as he assessed the destruction of his uncontrollable anger. The lesson here is: If we don't control our anger, it will control us! 

We need to bring our anger to the Lord and ask Him to help us act like Him toward those who offend us. Some of us need to get before the Lord today and ask for help, because we know that we might not be angry right now, but it could happen before the day is done. And, we know that when anger comes, we will need God’s help to respond properly. Others have been simmering in your own anger for quite a while now. The best thing you can do is get to the Lord and ask Him to turn down the heat in your heart before you have a melt down.

I know that most of us don't like to seek help for something like this. But, here are the facts; we are all cut from the same cloth. We all have problems with anger from time to time. The best thing we can ever do is yield to our feelings, our rights, and our anger to the the Lord. If He has used today's message to speak to your heart, I challenge you to get before Him and get the help you need!

Scripture: Proverbs 29:11; James 1:20; Ecclesiastes 7:9; Proverbs 15:1; James 4:1-2; Proverbs 16:32

Now, let's pray...

O Father, give us the humility which realizes its ignorance, admits its mistakes, recognizes its need, welcomes advice, accepts rebuke. Help us always to praise rather than to criticize, to sympathize rather than to discourage, to build rather than to destroy, and to think of people at their best rather than at their worst. This we ask for in thy name's sake. Amen

Until next time...

Have a blessed week! 

Bibi

Video - Natalie Grant: Holy, Holy, Holy

An uplifting performance of Holy, Holy, Holy by Natalie Grant. This ought to get your weekend off to an awesome start.  Enjoy!  ~Eve

Bible Study Snacks, Acts 14:7-21

Hi, everyone!

Happy Friday, and welcome back to another presentation of Bible Study Snacks! As always, I thank you so much for joining me as we walk together through the richness of God's spoken word, and wisdom. I pray that today finds you in good health and strong in faith!

This week, I would like to continue our study of the Book of Acts, with Chapter Fourteen, Verses 7-21.

I have designed these studies to be brief, yet packed full of good information for everyone regardless of your level of biblical knowledge. I might add that these quick studies make perfect small group discussion starters, as well!

As always, I whole-heartedly believe in the importance that any Bible study should begin with prayer. If you have your Bible ready, let's pray together...

Heavenly father, please guide us as we study your Word today; I pray that our hearts and our minds will be open so that we will not only receive your Gospel, but learn from it as well; you are the Light of the world, Lord, and your Spirit will illuminate our path as we journey through your teachings. In the name of Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Savior. Amen

If you are taking notes for yourself, or using this for a bible study with others, here are the objectives for this week's lesson...

OBJECTIVES: This week, the reader will...

1) Note the increasing persecution endured by the apostle Paul.  

For your convenience, here is a summary Acts 14:7-21 

In Lystra, Paul heals a man crippled from birth (similar to Peter, cf. 3:1-10). The people assume that Paul and Barnabas must be gods, and so name them Zeus (Barnabas) and Hermes (Paul). When the priest of Zeus prepares to offer sacrifices, the apostles tear their own clothes and barely restrain themselves by an impassioned speech. Not long after, Jews from Antioch and Iconium persuade the multitudes to stone Paul and drag him outside the city. Though assumed to be dead, Paul is able to return to the city and depart the next day with Barnabas to Derbe where they preach the gospel and make many disciples (7-21).

REVIEW QUESTIONS: 

1) What miracle did Paul perform in Lystra? (Acts 14:8-10)
2) How did the people react? What names did they give to Paul and Barnabas? (Acts 14:11-12)
3) Who attempted to lead the city in offering sacrifices to them? (Acts 14:13)
4) How did Barnabas and Paul restrain the crowd from offering the sacrifices? (Acts 14:14-18)
5) How did the apostles describe the true God? (Acts 14:15-17)
6) Who then came to the city and persuaded the people to stone Paul? (Acts 14:19)
7) After Paul revived from his stoning, where did he and Barnabas go? (Acts 14:20)
8)  What happened in Derbe?  When they left, where did they go? (Acts 14:21)

After completing this week's study, go back and read through the material again. Take your time and read each topic and scripture reference as many times as you feel necessary. Keep in mind that by doing this, you just might see something new that you overlooked the first time around!

As we journey through the Bible together, I will continue to pray that God’s message will come through to you loud and crystal clear. Until next time, I wish everyone a blessed week! 

God bless you! 

Sheri

Even Good People Can Be Bound By Bad Habits

"Habit is habit and not to be flung out of the window by any man, but coaxed downstairs a step at a time."  -Mark Twain

Many times when a message is brought up about breaking free from habits, peoples' minds immediately switch to…well this will be a good one for the drug addict and the alcoholic, they need a message like this. And I agree they do need it, but 2 Peter goes so much further than that. And many who are reading this message today need to break free from something (2 Peter 2:19). 

Is this making sense so far? Okay. So how do you identify a "habit?" A negative life controlling "habit" is something you find yourself doing even though it is destructive ether physical, mentally, emotionally, relation-ally or spiritually. Or you consistently do something you wish you wouldn't do, but you find yourself doing it any way?

You must understand, good people are bound by bad habits. The apostle Paul understood his dilemma in Romans 7:15. He had good intentions, too. Some of us, reason in our minds, if we admit we have a habit than we are less than spiritual. Denial is not the way to deal with the problem.

Be honest, look at your life and like Paul, evaluate the thing you find yourself doing that you hate. Take a moment and write down the habits in your life that you want to see victory in.

Unfortunately, bad habits tend to creep up on us. These life controlling habits are formed at a snails pace that is almost unnoticeable. Usually the person doesn’t even know they have formed a habit in there life. And if some one asks, they say, “I can quit at any time. This isn’t a problem.”

Habits are like a cable. Each day we do something in a pattern, we intertwine one thread with another. As the threads are woven together a cable is formed. On any day, the threads we added were too small to be noticed. But, after many threads have been woven in, we find that together they have become an unbreakable cable.

So it is with habits, both good and bad, daily practices over time become habits that are unbreakable.At first it seems very harmless, at any time in the early stages you could rid your self. In fact you convince yourself you could stop at any time. Then, the habit takes a stronger foothold, advancing a little more taking away a little more of your freedom. Over a period of time that habit like the enemy begins to advance and destroy you.

I ask you: How many marriages have been lost to habits? How many families have been divide because of habits? How many jobs have been lost How many relationships destroyed because of habits? How many minds are wasted because of habits? 

Seems impossible, doesn't it? So, how can you break free from the grip of a bad habit in your life, from the smallest to the largest? First, let's take a look at 1 Corinthians 10:13. God lets us know that in every situation with every temptation he provides victory. In fact, here are a few steps you can take to help you start breaking that bad habit. First, Admit you have a problem. Everything starts with confession (1 John.1:9). Accept the responsibility that you have a problem.

Next, depend on God’s power to combat bad habits (Philippians 4:13). When it comes to being set free from habits that bind, Jesus can do more in a moment than doctors can do in a lifetime. God must become your primary source of strength.

Start your days off with God, and he will help you through the day to over come and show you a way out. The more you allow God to be part of your life the more you will see him working in you. You have to stop trying to do this by your self. He did not say go along but said draw near to me (James 4:7). 

Finally, bad habits must be replaced by good ones. God told Moses that before the Israelites settled in the promise land, they should drive out the wicked inhabitants and destroy their idols. In Colossians 3 Paul encourages us to live as Christians in the same manner: throwing away our old way of living and moving ahead into our new life of obedience to God and faith in Jesus Christ.

Like the Israelites moving into the promise land, we can destroy the wickedness in our life, or we can settle down and live with it. To move in and possess the new life, we must drive out the sinful thoughts and practices to make room for the new.

And how should we go about developing new, positive habits to replace the old, negative ones? Here's a few suggestions: How about memorizing God's word? Read these verses for support: Hebrews 4:12; Psalm 1:1-3; Psalm 119:165.

How about finding support from others? God says it is absolutely essential for your recovery or healing. We are healed by admitting our faults to one another. Why do I need to drag another person into this? Why can’t I just admit it to God? Why don’t I just pray about it, make a list, talk to God about it? But why do I need to tell another person? (James. 5:16) 

Because the root of our problem is relational. We lie to each other. We deceive each other. We’re dishonest with each other. We wear masks. We pretend we have it together. But we don’t. and we deny our true feelings, and we play games. We end up living with shame and it makes us insecure. If they really knew the truth about me, they wouldn't love me. The Bible tells us that we need to bare one another’s burdens.

God says revealing your feeling is the beginning of healing. The amazing thing is, when you risk honesty with someone, all of a sudden , this feeling of freedom comes into your life. You realize that everybody has habits and often they have the same one you do.

How about just taking it one day at a time? Why? Because God wants to give you enough strength to change for one day, not for the week, one month, the rest of your life. He wants to take it one day at a time so you trust in Him.(Matthew 6:11).

And above all, any victory, no matter how minor, you thank God for it; and you take one defeat at a time, and you get victory one day at a time (Philippians 4:13). 

Scripture: Ephesians 4:22-24; 1 Corinthians 3:16; 1 Peter 5:7; 2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:2; Proverbs 4:23; 1 John 1:7; 1 John 4:9

Prayer: O my God, I wish to amend, and in order to be faithful to You, I will place all my confidence in You. I will, whenever I am tempted, instantly have recourse to You. Until now, I have trusted in my own promises and resolutions and have neglected to recommend myself to You in my temptations. This has been the cause of my repeated failures. From this day forward, be You, O Lord, my strength, and this shall I be able to do all things, for “I can do all things in Him who strengthens me.” Amen.

-Special thanks to Jeff Seamon

May God bless you,

Eileen

He Will Keep You In the Midst of the Storm!

As Hurricane Sandy approached the East Coast in late October, Captain Robin Walbridge had a decision to make. He could leave the ship, the Bounty, in the harbor at New London, where it would be tossed back and forth by the storm and would presumably sustain serious damage. Or he could try to save the ship by taking it out into the Atlantic, thereby putting his life and the lives of his 15 crewmembers on the line.

Walbridge wanted to save his ship. A ship versus 16 human lives. How can such a decision be explained?

It wasn't just any ship that he had under his command. Walbridge was the captain of the Bounty, a replica of the most famous sailing vessel in seafaring history, and a treasure of the Hollywood world. Legendary films like "Mutiny on the Bounty," starring Marlon Brando, and "Pirates of the Caribbean," with Johnny Depp, had been made on board the Bounty. A legend like that can't just be left at the mercy of the weather.

He set out to sea to ride out the storm -- a decision which ended in disaster. He lost the ship, a crewmember and his own life.  -Spiegel Online International, November 29, 2012, Marc Hujer and Samiha Shafy

In this passage of Scripture (Matthew 14:22-33), we find the disciples of our Lord trapped in the grip of a fierce storm. They find themselves in that storm, because they have been commanded by the Lord to cross the Sea of Galilee, (Matthew 14:22). These men are in the will of the Lord and yet, we see them struggling against the storm. Try as they might, however, it appears that they are unable to make any headway. The wind is in their faces, (Matthew 14:24). These 12 men are stuck in a storm and are unable to get out.

Have you ever found yourself in that place? Have you ever found yourself stuck in one of life's storms, and no matter how hard you try, no matter what you do, it seems that you can't make any headway? Well, we all have times like that! It might seem to you like the storm will never end; and that there is no possible good that can come from what you are facing. Thankfully, however, there is some good news for us from the word of God.

In this message, I want to show you that the storms of life contain some hidden blessings for the children of God. I do not know what kind of storm you are facing today, but I do know that the Lord has a purpose in allowing that storm to rage in your life. Perhaps that purpose will become clearer as we continue on.

Matthew 14:25 tells us that storms are God's means of transportation. In other words, the very thing the disciples feared. the sea, was the very thing the Lord used as the vehicle to reveal Himself unto them. He will do the same in your life and mine.

Jesus comes in the face of darkness; in the face of disaster; and on the face of the deep. The Bible says that Jesus came to them in "the fourth watch". Sometime between 3 AM and 6 AM, during the darkest hours of the night, Jesus came walking on the water!

You may be walking in darkness today and wondering where Jesus is. You may be facing some of the darkest days of your life right now. Let me remind you that our God is ever with you, (Hebrews 13:5)! Let me remind you that even in the darkest hours of life God is still God and He is still in control of your life.

Think about it! The disciples were in a fight for their lives. Mark 6:48 says that they were "toiling in rowing". That is, they were struggling against the storm. I get the impression that these men were afraid for their lives. When they thought all hope was gone and that they were doomed, Jesus came walking on the waves!

I know that there are times when we all feel like we have lost the battle with our storm, but may I remind you that just as surely as the Lord is in control of your blessings, He is also in charge of your storms? When things look the bleakest, just look around, Jesus is about to show up!

Remember, He may not keep you from going into the storm, but He will keep you in the midst of the storm! Think of the 3 Hebrews, Daniel, and Noah. God did not prevent any of these from going into the storm, but He saved them all in the midst of their storm. What He did for them, He will do for you!

The very thing the disciples feared, the raging sea, was what God used to come to them. Sometimes it is hard to imagine the Lord bringing any good out of what you are going through. But, the storms of life have the potential to reveal the Savior to us in a way we may have never considered before. What a testimony this was! He was not telling them that the storm was not fierce, He was telling them that He was greater than the storm!

In conclusion, that is still His word to you today. Regardless of what you are facing in life, remember that Jesus is greater than that storm you may be facing. If you will be patient and wait for Him, He will show up right on time. You will see that the storm was used by the Lord to make Himself clear to you. The very thing you fear will be what He uses to show up in your life!

Scripture: Exodus 33:14; Deuteronomy 31:8; Psalm 9:9-10; Psalm 138:3; Isaiah 12:2; Jeremiah 16:19; Jeremiah 32:27; Luke 12:25-26; John 14:27

Prayer: Heavenly father, I am your humble servant, I come before you today in need of hope. There are times when I fell helpless, there are times when I feel weak. I pray for hope. I need hope for a better future. I need hope for a better life. I need hope for love and kindness. Some say that the sky is at it’s darkest just before the light. I pray that this is true, for all seems dark.

I need your light, Lord, in every way. I pray to be filled with your light from head to toe. To bask in your glory. To know that all is right in the world, as you have planned, and as you want it to be. Help me to walk in your light, and live my life in faith and glory. In your name I pray, Amen.

May God bless you always!

Sandra

Our Struggle With Sin

There is something terribly right about...realizing that our struggle with sin is in many ways similar to an alcoholic's struggle with drinking. It's never over. How often I find myself talking about sin in the past tense as if being a sinner is something I'm beyond--a page turned in the book of my life. But sin is like alcoholism. Sinners are never cured; they simply decide to stop sinning...and it's a daily decision.   -John Fischer, Contemporary Christian Music, September, 1987. 

What is "sin?" Here are a couple of good definitions of it. Sin is: "Actions by which people rebel against God, miss His purpose for their life, and surrender to the power of evil rather than to God" (Billy E. Simmons, The Incomparable Christ). Augustine said: “Sin is believing the lie that you are self-created, self-dependent, and self-sustained.”

The Old Testament describes sin is as:

1. Transgression of God’s Law (Deuteronomy 6:24-25)
2. Breaking of a Covenant with God  - God made a covenant with Israel. Every year on the Day of Atonement they renewed that covenant with God. Any breach of that covenant was a sin.

In the New Testament there are similar concepts, but in addition Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is introduced. His perfection is the standard against which we judge and measure sin! We see that:

1. Sin has its roots in the inner man (Matthew 15:18-20);
2. Sin is "unbelief." Unbelief rejects, denies, substitutes for God’s Truth! (John 3:18)

Here are a few more interesting facts about sin: Sinful nature is inherited (Ephesians 2:3); and Sin is the result of a human choice.

Up to this point, we have talked a little bit about what sin is, but do we know what sin does? It is important to note that God doesn't turn His back on sin! And just like anything we do against God, there are consequences to our choices. Some consequences of our sinning are:

1. A barrier is created between God and man (Isaiah 59:2)
2. Man becomes a slave to sin (Romans 6:16)
3. It ruins relationships (James 4:1-2)
4. It creates guilt (Romans 3:19)
5. It can result in death (Romans 6:23; (Ezekiel 18:20)
6. And results in eternal Separation from God/loved ones in Hell (Revelation 20:15)

We should be aware that our whole duty is to fear God and keep His commandments. Yet, there are so many who claim that this is an impossible duty to fulfill. "Sure," they say, "we can obey God sometimes, but of course we will still sin." They say this despite the fact that they have no Scripture to back up what they claim.

So, many professing believers expect to continue to sin and therefore they do because without faith in God to keep them from sin, they will surely fall--guaranteed. "They claim to know God, but by their actions they deny him" (Titus 1:16). They have a form of godliness; going to church every week and being "spiritual" most of the time. But when it comes down to it, they have not accepted God's provision to overcome sin and thus they deny the power to be godly.

What is this provision that God has made for Christians to overcome sin? It is the grace given us by God sending His Son. Through the blood of Jesus, we can overcome, "for everyone born of God overcomes the world" (I John 5:4). Many professing believers have read passages like Romans 6 and I John 3 that state very clearly that we are no longer slaves to sin; and that those who are in Christ do not continue to sin (see Romans 6:2; Romans 6:18; I John 3:6.)

Yet, despite these and many other clear passages throughout the Bible, many do not have the faith to fully believe, so they may turn to a commentary or ask a friend or a "pastor" and it gets explained away for them. Then they feel much better thinking that they can continue in sin. These people are like seed sown along a path: they "hear, and then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts" (Luke 8:12).

In closing I ask, do you have faith to believe the Bible? Have you accepted God's provision to overcome sin in your life? Do you really know what it means to be a slave of righteousness? I pray that you will consider these things. I long to see more people living a victorious life in Christ overcoming sin.

Scripture: Romans 6:23; 1 John 1:9; 2 Peter 3:9; Ephesians 2:8-9;  Revelation 21:8; Mark 2:17;  2 Peter 2:4; James 2:10; Romans 5:8; John 1:1

Prayer: Heavenly Father, have mercy on me, a sinner. I believe in you and that your word is true. I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of the living God and that he died on the cross so that I may now have forgiveness for my sins and eternal life. I know that without you in my heart my life is meaningless.

I believe in my heart that you, Lord God, raised Him from the dead. Please Jesus forgive me, for every sin I have ever committed or done in my heart, please Lord Jesus forgive me and come into my heart as my personal Lord and Savior today. I need you to be my Father and my friend.

I give you my life and ask you to take full control from this moment on; I pray this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen

Have a blessed day!

LeeAnn

Do You Believe In Miracles?

The Pew Research Center reveals that 79 percent of Americans believe that miracles probably or definitely occur, and that belief is growing among people who do not regularly attend church.

Baylor University sociologist, Kevin Dougherty, is quoted as saying he believes the uptick is evidence that our society is not moving toward the secularism that has dominated Europe in recent decades.

Catholic clergyman, Monsignor Patrick Brankin of Tulsa says, "If a miracle occurs, the laws of nature have been suspended. Only God can do that. A miracle is always a sign...that conveys meaning and invites a response."

"It's not extraordinary because it's rare," adds Brankin. "Miracles are a part of the fabric of daily life. It's extraordinary because it involves a breach of the natural order."

Rev. Thomson Mathew weighed in also, saying he believes the increase of people believing in miracles can be attributed to the post-modern world we live in, making the current generation more curious and open to miracles around them.   -Tulsa World, Dec 31, 2012, Teresa Neumann 

What would you say if I told you that I know someone who has restored life to dead bodies? Someone who has given perfect sight to a man who was born blind? Someone who fed 5000 men plus the women and children with them, using only 5 loaves of bread and two small fish – and that he had more food left over than he had at the start? The Bible says this and much, much more about Jesus of Nazareth!

During His own earthly life and ministry, He was a well-known miracle-worker We can even see that in Luke 23:8a Herod hoped to see Jesus work a miracle. Why, probably most (if not all) of you have studied the matter and concluded that Jesus did, in fact, work miracles.

But there are others in our day which doubt it, or perhaps even deny that Jesus preformed miracles. Therefore, I ask YOU the following question, "What about the miracles of Jesus?"

Let's first define a miracle. A miracle is not just something unusual (even highly unusual) or amazing; such as having your car roll over at a high rate of speed and coming out without a scratch A miracle is an event which supersedes the natural laws which govern and control the universe. Here are some miracles performed by Jesus:

a. Jesus superseded the law of gravity by walking on the water;
b. Jesus superseded the natural healing process by healing people instantly, and even raising the dead;
c. Jesus superseded statistical probability by pulling a coin out of a fishes mouth

Note: Just because God does something, or is involved in an event, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s a miracle. (e.g. when Jesus overthrew the money-changers’ tables and drove the livestock from the temple, was it a miracle??)

So why do some not believe in the miracles of Jesus (or other Bible miracles?) There could be a number of reasons for this. Maybe it's because they haven't personally witnessed them. Or, there's a faith problem caused by a low respect for the Bible; perhaps instigated by so-called “experts” who claim that accounts of miracles are just records of ‘normal’ things the disciples supposedly exaggerated out of respect for Jesus.Whatever the reason might be, "doubt" is quite evident.

Now, some might be asking this question, "Why should we believe in Jesus' miracles? Here are some reasons we can point to: a) because of the reliability of the Bible has proven itself over and over again to be scientifically, historically, and in every other way accurate. b) because of the sheer number of them ( the number of recorded miracles of Jesus is well over 3 dozen.); because of the variety of them (i.e., healing various infirmities (hemorrhaging, fever, leprosy, paralysis, lameness, dropsy [accumulation of fluid in limbs or abdomen], & others); restoration of life to the dead; c) stilling storms immediately, feeding multitudes with small amounts of food, casting out demons, etc.

Of course, no one has to believe in the miracles of Jesus. But what are the consequences of not believing in them? For starters, Jesus loses His credibility as the Son of God. Refer to Acts 2:22 – it was the miracles that showed that God approved of what Jesus said and did. His “works” proved that He was Who He said He was (John 5:36; John 14:11). OT prophecies predicted that Messiah would work miracles (Isaiah 35:5-6). And, according to John 20:30-31 one great pillar would be knocked our from under our faith. We haven't even begun to scratch the surface here, but you get the idea.

In conclusion, we can be confident that Jesus really did perform the miracles which Scripture mentions, as well as innumerable more not recorded there. Those miracles attest to His identity as the Christ, the Son of God. That identity, in turn, gives meaning to His sacrificial death upon the cross, and to that crowning miracle of all miracles, His resurrection from the dead. He also has the power to save you from your sins, and to raise you from the dead at the last day.

Scripture: Matthew 21:21; Luke 1:35; John 5:36-38; John 1:1; Psalm 2:7; Isaiah 41:4; Matthew 7:7

Prayer: O Heavenly Father, who has filled the world with beauty; Open my eyes to behold your gracious hand in all your works; that rejoicing in your whole creation, I may learn to serve you with gladness, faithfully managing your bounty; for the sake of him by whom all things were made, your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen

-Thanks to Tom Moore 

May your day be blessed! 

Destry