9 I took you from the ends of the earth, from its farthest corners I called you. I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you. 10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. 11 “All who rage against you will surely be ashamed and disgraced; those who oppose you will be as nothing and perish. 12 Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. 13 For I am the LORD, your God, who takes hold of your right hand and says to you, Do not fear; I will help you.
I recommend that believers underline Isaiah 41 in their Bibles and meditate on it often. When one of God’s people is seeking an anchor in turbulent times, this is the right passage for the job. Here, Isaiah writes about the source of Christians’ strength.
In verse 10 alone, the Lord promises strength, help, and protection. Moreover, He gives two commands: “do not fear” and “do not anxiously look about you.” Among Satan’s subtle and successful traps is the art of distraction. The Evil One knows that fear can choke faith. He works hard to make unsettling circumstances a person’s sole focus. Once a believer’s attention is diverted from God, natural human tendencies take over. In the absence of prayer and worship, anxiety and doubt grow unobstructed.
Staying focused on God can be hard. The flesh prefers to seek security by thinking through all possible angles: our tendency is to weigh what we think could happen against what “experts” say will happen, and then to evaluate possible ways of preventing our worst fears from coming true. Instead of becoming more confident, we begin to realize how powerless we are.Thankfully, we serve an almighty God who says, “Surely I will help you” (v. 10). You can count on Him.
When we focus on our circumstances, we’re actually choosing to feel anxiety and doubt. But these emotions don’t belong in a believer’s daily life. Instead, let’s decide to trust in the promises God has given us. He’s filled His Word with scriptural anchors to keep His children steady in the faith.
(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the May 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)
May 20 2010 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts and Uncategorized | No Comments »
Lord, how I love You! For You have done such tremendous things for me. The Lord is my fort where I can enter and be safe; no one can follow me in and slay me. He is a rugged mountain where I hide; He is my Savior, a rock where none can reach me, and a tower of safety. He is my shield. He is like the strong horn of a mighty fighting bull. All I need to do is cry to Him – oh, praise the Lord – and I am saved from all my enemies! Death bound me with chains, and the floods of ungodliness mounted a massive attack against me. Trapped and helpless, I struggled against the ropes that drew me on to death. In my distress I screamed to the Lord for His help. And He heard me from heaven; my cry reached His ears!
God’s protection of his people is limitless and can take many forms. David characterized God’s care with six symbols. God is like: (1) a fort, or place of safety where the enemy can’t follow, (2) a rugged mountain full of hiding places, (3) a rock that can’t be penetrated by any who would harm us, (4) a tower high above our enemies, (5) a shield that comes between us and harm, and (6) a horn to scare the enemy away or to warn us if he comes too close. If you need protection, look to God!
He reached down from heaven and took me and drew me out of my great trials. He rescued me from deep waters. He delivered me from my strong enemy, from those who hated me – I who was helpless in their hands.
On the day when I was weakest, they attacked. But the Lord held me steady. He led me to a place of safety, for He delights in me.
Our troubles, like deep waters, threaten to drown us. David, helpless and weak, knew that God alone had rescued him from his enemies during times when he was defenseless. How often we wish that God would quickly rescue us out of our troubles. Remember that God can deliver us or help us remain steady as we go through troubles. Either way, His protection is best for us. When you feel drowned by troubles, ask God to help you, hold you steady, and protect you. In His care, you are never helpless!
What a God He is! How perfect in every way! All His promises prove true. He is a shield for every one who hides behind Him. For who is God except our Lord? Who but He is as a rock?
He fills me with strength and protects me wherever I go. He gives me the surefootedness of a mountain goat upon the crags. He leads me safely along the top of the cliffs. He prepares me for battle and gives me strength to draw an iron bow!
God promises to give us strength for life-building challenges and protection from life-threatening troubles. But He doesn’t promise to eliminate our troubles. If God promised no rough roads, no mountains to climb, and no battles, we would not grow. But with these life-building challenges, He sends strength to overcome. If He left us alone with life-threatening troubles, we would not survive. But God sends His protection. We need His protection to survive life’s impossible threats and His strength to grow as we respond to life’s challenging circumstances.
May 06 2010 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts and Uncategorized | No Comments »
We all want to be respected, accepted, and loved. No one really enjoys conflict, especially when it involves being personally and unfairly attacked. But our reality is that we live in a world with two opposing forces— good and evil—so conflict shouldn’t come as a surprise to us. The apostle Paul was speaking from experience when he wrote to Timothy, a younger pastor he was mentoring, that “all who desire to live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Timothy 3:12). Jesus plainly told His disciples, “If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you” (John 15:20).
Often, it’s when we’re trying to obey God’s leading that we face persecution at work or school—from bosses, teachers, neighbors, peers, or even fellow church members. At times the source of the attack can catch us off guard: someone we thought was our dear friend may suddenly turn around and become our enemy. How would God have us respond to something so painful? I’ve met people who have truly been persecuted for righteousness’ sake in a way that awes and inspires me. Over the years, God has taught me how to deal with this kind of thing. I learned five things that changed everything.
1. View whatever comes your way as something God is going to use for his greater purposes (Romans 8:28). This keeps you from becoming bitter, hostile, or vengeful. When the Lord allows people to touch your life, see them as an instrument—even if they cause you great pain—because He has something bigger in mind that’s completely different from their intent toward you. They are not in control; God is in control. I remember Him saying clearly, “I am engineering all your circumstances for My glory and your good. You’re going to have to trust Me. Don’t try to figure it out. Don’t fight. Don’t defend yourself. Just trust Me.” Those words mean so much to me even now, because no matter what I’ve faced since then, He has always been the same trustworthy, loving Father.
2. Keep your focus on the Lord, no matter what. If you don’t, you’re going to react. When you stay focused on God, the things Satan uses to paralyze you will lose their power to distract. You will no longer listen to the accusing or false voices around you. In Isaiah 41:10, God reassures us: “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you.” Satan amplifies everything that looks like opposition. He wants you to think the situation is worse than it is. That’s why God wants you to focus your mind and heart on Him.
3. Completely rely upon God’s strength. Conflict, persecution, and spiritual warfare can drain your physical, emotional, and spiritual energy. You wake up thinking about the situation. You go to bed thinking about it. Your “enemies” know you have weaknesses, so they’re looking for the first little sign of fear. And when they see it, they’ll come after you like a herd of stampeding cattle. You may be perfectly right in what you’re standing for. But extreme pressure can cause you to doubt the Lord’s strength in your life. That’s when the Enemy starts to harass you by saying, “He’s not going to protect you. You’re on your own!” You have to resist that kind of thinking and throw yourself on the strength of God.
In Psalm 28:7, King David acknowledges the Lord as the only source of his strength and the only defense needed in the face of vicious attack. Again, in Psalm 61:2-4, this battle-hardened warrior eloquently expresses complete dependence: “From the end of the earth I call to You when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a refuge for me, a tower of strength against the enemy. Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.”
4. Recognize that you’re fighting a spiritual battle. It’s important for you to understand the nature of the battle you’re in. Take inventory and ask yourself these questions: Does this battle have any effect upon the work of God? Am I in the place where the Lord wants me, doing the job He wants me to do? Is my stand scriptural, and am I actually doing something God has called me to? Or is my main objective based more on my personal opinion or preference? What’s at stake if I leave the fight or stay in it—if I win or lose? How will others be affected by my response to this persecution? . . . by its ultimate outcome? Am I going to be glorified in this—or will all glory go to God?
Sometimes “winning” doesn’t mean running somebody else out. Rather, it’s being able to endure and keep moving without defending yourself, blasting someone else, or seeking vengeance. Oftentimes, winning is just standing firm (even silently when necessary) so that God’s witness is strengthened. Paul told fellow believers, “Be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood” (Ephesians 6:10-12). He didn’t say, “Launch an attack on your enemies!”; he said “Stand firm.” The Lord is the One who fights the battle; your job is to stand firm. Of course, you should be careful not to manipulate circumstances. But if you’re truly in the place where God has called you, then don’t give up—no matter what.
Before we had radar and other communications technology, sailors had little or no warning as to when a storm was coming. But when severe weather came upon them, they would tie themselves to the mast of the ship so the waves that engulfed the deck wouldn’t wash them overboard. This is a perfect example of what God wants us to do in the midst of a spiritual battle. When we’re attached firmly to Him, determined to be unmoved until the storm subsides, we develop such oneness with Him that He has complete freedom to act as He pleases. We don’t have to be afraid. Instead, we rely on the Lord, believing that He’s actually up to something fantastic. And remember, we don’t have to fight by ourselves. God says, “I will never leave you nor forsake you” (Hebrews 13:5 NKJV).
5. Expect to be victorious. We can expect to win every battle God allows in our lives—because of His ultimate sovereignty, not because of our strength, our wisdom, or our experience. Since our heavenly Father is sovereign, He has everything in perfect control. If you choose to believe that you’re a victim of people and circumstances, you are really saying that they have more control over your life than God does. But if you’re walking obediently with the Lord, whatever He allows will eventually be for your good and His glory (Romans 8:28).
When Paul wrote, “We are more than conquerors,” he was implying that when we come out of the battle, we have more than we did going in (Romans 8:37). We now have a greater understanding of God, His grace, and His ways, knowing that nothing can change His omnipotence, His absolute wisdom, or His love (Romans 8:26-39). When you reach that conclusion and truly believe it, you become fully free. If you believe He’s sovereign and have committed yourself to Him, what is there to worry about? Nothing can touch us except what He allows.
That’s why we can expect to “win,” even if a worldly perspective assumes we’re defeated. The world says to manipulate circumstances or run away. But our responsibility is simply to obey and trust our wonderful, loving, sovereign Father to take care of us.
(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the March 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)
April 11 2010 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts and Uncategorized | No Comments »
I got a phone call recently that no pastor wants to get; a man in my church had suffered a massive heart attack and it didn’t look good at all. Four hours after I got to the hospital to be with the family, he died. You can imagine the grief. This man and his wife had experienced a lot of grief over the years. I was reminded they lost a child when I saw them weeping over his grave after the woman’s father was buried just a few months ago. I stood with this couple beside another casket when their daughter-in-law was killed in an automobile accident a few weeks ago. And now this precious lady who loves the Lord was dealing with the loss of her husband of thirty-three years. She asked me a question as we stood in that hospital waiting room: “They say God won’t put on you more than you can bear. But, does God know when you’re hanging on by a thread?”
Sometimes it doesn’t seem like God knows how we feel or what we’re going through. There are times when we don’t think we can make it. The Bible is filled with God’s people who felt that way. The Psalmist said, “O Lord, God of my salvation, I have cried out day and night before you. . . .For my soul is full of troubles and my life draws near to the grave. . . .I am like a man who has no strength, adrift among the dead, like the slain who lie in the grave, who you remember no more” (Psalm 88:1-5). These are vivid pictures if you think about them. David himself cried out, “I am weary with my groaning; all night I make my bed swim; I drench my couch with my tears” (Psalm 6:6). More than once he felt like God had abandoned him. That’s the context of the chorus we sing from his words: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God” (Psalm 42:1). He was in a desert of depression and felt there was no way out. That’s why he said “My tears have been my food day and night, while they continually say to me, ‘Where is your God’” (v. 3)? When you have nothing to eat but your own tears, you’re hanging on by a thread.
And yes, God knows that. The very fact verses like these are all over the Bible tells us that God knows how we feel and has not abandoned us. When we’re hammered by hurts He is with us and we actually have an endless supply of grace from which to draw in time of need. That’s why Paul said, “No trial has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able, but with the trial will provide the way of escape also, that you may be able to endure it” (1 Corinthians 10:13). (This verse applies to trials or temptations).
Now, these troubles are “common to man.” Paul’s first word of encouragement is that we are not alone in our affliction. What we experience is experienced by others. We need not feel our burden is such that no one has ever faced the same.
But Paul also says something about God and His faithfulness to us. Despite the fact that winds of adversity blow, God does not forget those whom He loves. He knows there are times when you’re hanging on by a thread but “will not allow you to be tested beyond what you are able” to bear. He will not allow a weight upon you that you cannot endure by His strength and grace. He will not test you beyond your ability and the help you have in Christ.
God is the one who actually provides “the way of escape.” The picture here is that of a ship on a raging sea in the midst of a fierce storm. The vessel is bouncing about in the rough waters and the wind is blowing her straight toward the rocks. Nothing can be done and she is about to founder and be destroyed. It’s stormy, dark, and all hope is gone. Yet, just as calamity is about to strike, an opening in the rocks appears and the ship skirts through into a peaceful cove where protection from the battering storm is provided. The ship and crew are safe in the cove as they whether the storm that churns round about them. The point is not that deliverance from the storm is God’s way of escape. Rather, the way of escape is God’s deliverance into the cove that one might endure the storm in safety. That’s why Paul adds, “that you may be able to endure it.” Christians face trials and temptations. Yet, God is faithful. He provides the way of escape to ride out the storm.
You say, “Okay, but what do I do? How do I get to the cove where I can feel like I’ll be able to weather this hurricane in my life?” The answer is our thinking. We have to fight the tendency to think about nothing but the suffering we face and actually think more about God Himself; His goodness, love, grace, mercy, and purpose for us in the midst of terrible circumstances. God uses tough times to refine us like fire refines gold (1 Peter 1:6-7). It is the testing of our faith that produces Christ’s strength and character in us (James 1:3-4). God uses hardship like a blacksmith’s hammer and anvil to make us more like Christ (Romans 8:28-29). We have to focus our thoughts on Christ and not the tragedy. And that means we have to trust Him. Isaiah says, “You [God] will keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you” (Isaiah 26:3).
The Lord Jesus is the way of escape; “For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has been tempted/tested in all things as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and may find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:15-16). Let us cast all our care upon Him because He cares for us (1 Peter 5:7). If we can do that, then slowly but surely, that thread we’re clinging to that feels as if it’s about to give way will become a chain attached to an anchor that cannot be moved: the Lord Jesus Himself (Hebrews 6:19-20). Yes, in spite of the storm, God knows, and the anchor will hold.
(by Dr. Paul Dean – Pastor, Counselor, Professor, Columnist and Radio Talk Show Host – from Christianity.com)
March 21 2010 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts and Uncategorized | No Comments »
(from – http://www.ourprayer.org/imagine-life-without-fear)
A strain of Asian flu is boarding flights out of China. The plague of our day, terrorism, begins with the word terror. We fear being sued, finishing last, going broke; we fear the mole on the back, the new kid on the block, the sound of the clock as it ticks us closer to the grave. We sophisticate investment plans, create elaborate security systems, and legislate stronger military, yet we depend on mood-altering drugs more than any other generation in history.
Fear, it seems, has taken a hundred-year lease on the building next door and set up shop. Oversize and rude, fear is unwilling to share the heart with happiness. Happiness complies. Do you ever see the two together? Can one be happy and afraid at the same time? Clear thinking and afraid? Confident and afraid? Merciful and afraid? No. Fear is the big bully in the high school hallway: brash, loud, and unproductive. For all the noise fear makes and room it takes, fear does little good.
“Jesus was sleeping” (Matthew 8:24).
Now there’s a scene. The disciples scream; Jesus dreams. Thunder roars; Jesus snores. He doesn’t doze, catnap, or rest. He slumbers. Could you sleep at a time like this? Could you snooze during a roller coaster loop-the-loop? In a wind tunnel? At a kettledrum concert? Jesus sleeps through all three at once! Mark’s gospel adds two curious details: “[Jesus] was in the stern, asleep on a pillow” (Mark 4:38). In the stern, on a pillow. Why the first? From whence came the second?
First-century fishermen used large, heavy seine nets for their work. They stored the nets in a nook that was built into the stern for this purpose. Sleeping upon the stern deck was impractical. It provided no space or protection. The small compartment beneath the stern, however, provided both. It was the most enclosed and only protected part of the boat. So Christ, a bit dozy from the day’s activities, crawled beneath the deck to get some sleep.
He rested his head, not on a fluffy feather pillow, but on a leather sandbag. A ballast bag. Mediterranean fishermen still use them. They weigh about a hundred pounds and are used to ballast, or stabilize, the boat. Did Jesus take the pillow to the stern so he could sleep, or sleep so soundly that someone rustled him up the pillow? We don’t know. But this much we do know. This was a premeditated slumber. He didn’t accidentally nod off. In full knowledge of the coming storm, Jesus decided it was siesta time, so he crawled into the corner, put his head on the pillow, and drifted into dreamland.
His snooze troubles the disciples. Matthew and Mark record their responses as three staccato Greek pronouncements and one question. The pronouncements: “Lord! Save! Dying!” (Matthew 8:25). The question: “Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?” (Mark 4:38). They do not ask about Jesus’ strength: “Can you still the storm?” His knowledge: “Are you aware of the storm?” Or his know-how: “Do you have any experience with storms?” But rather, they raise doubts about Jesus’ character: “Do you not care . . . ”
Fear does this. Fear corrodes our confidence in God’s goodness. We begin to wonder if love lives in heaven. If God can sleep in our storms, if his eyes stay shut when our eyes grow wide, if he permits storms after we get on his boat, does he care? Fear unleashes a swarm of doubts, anger-stirring doubts. And it turns us into control freaks. “Do something about the storm!” is the implicit demand of the question. “Fix it or . . . or . . . or else!” Fear, at its center, is a perceived loss of control. When life spins wildly, we grab for a component of life we can manage: our diet, the tidiness of a house, the armrest of a plane, or, in many cases, people. The more insecure we feel, the meaner we become. We growl and bare our fangs. Why? Because we are bad? In part. But also because we feel cornered.
Jesus takes our fears seriously. The one statement he made more than any other was this: don’t be afraid.
Fear will always knock on your door. Just don’t invite it in for dinner, and for heaven’s sake don’t offer it a bed for the night. Let’s embolden our hearts with a select number of Jesus’ “do not fear” statements. Fear may fill our world, but it doesn’t have to fill our hearts.
Max Lucado, author of 3:16: The Numbers of Hope, and pastor of Oak Hills Church, has touched millions with his signature storytelling writing style. In his latest book, Fearless, Lucado offers insightful wisdom on replacing fear with faith to live a fulfilled life of confidence and joy. To learn about Lucado’s latest book, Fearless, click here.
August 02 2009 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts and Uncategorized | No Comments »
Psalm 3
(A Psalm of David, when he fled from Absalom his son.)
O Lord, so many are against me. So many seek to harm me. I have so many enemies. So many say that God will never help me. But Lord, You are my shield, my glory, and my only hope. You alone can lift my head, now bowed in shame. I cried out to the Lord, and he heard me. Then I lay down and slept in peace and woke up safely, for the Lord was watching over me. And now, although ten thousand enemies surround me on every side, I am not afraid. I will cry to Him, “Arise, O Lord! Save me, O my God!” and He will slap them in the face, insulting them and breaking off their teeth.
For salvation comes from God. What joys He gives to all His people.
(The Living Bible)
David felt like he was in the minority. There may have been as many as 10,000 soldiers surrounding him at this time. Not only did David’s enemies view life differently, they actively sought to harm him. As king, David could have trusted his army to defeat Absalom, but he depended upon God’s mercy instead. Therefore, he was at peace with whatever outcome occurred, knowing that God’s great purposes would prevail. We can overcome fear when we cry out to God for His mercy in our darkest hour.
King David was not sitting on his throne in a place of power, but was running for his life from his rebellious son, Absalom and a host of traitors. When circumstances go against us, it is easy to think that God also is against us. But David reminds us that the opposite is true. When everything seems to go against us, God is the only one who is for us. If life seems against you, don’t blame God – seek Him!
Sometimes life offers little hope, and when hope is gone, only despair remains. When facing problems, trials, suffering, and death, we may feel like giving up. David ran from his beloved son who threatened to kill him, knowing there was no hope except in God. When we feel like there is no hope, when life has disappointed us to the point of despair, we also have only one hope. But God is all the hope we need because He promises to be a shield to protect us. When we focus our thoughts on God, our hope is restored.
Sleep does not come easily in the midst of a crisis. David could have had sleepless nights when his son Absalom rebelled and gathered an army to kill him. But he slept peacefully, even in the midst of the rebellion. What made the difference? David cried out to the Lord and the Lord heard him. The assurance of answered prayer brings peace. It is easier to sleep well when we accept with full assurance that God is in control of circumstances. If you are lying awake at night worrying about circumstances you can’t change, ask God to get involved. Then go to sleep!
May 15 2009 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Devotions/Devotionals and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts | No Comments »
Psalm 23
(New Living Translation)
A Psalm of David:
1 The Lord is my shepherd;
I have all that I need.
2 He lets me rest in green meadows;
he leads me beside peaceful streams.
3 He renews my strength.
He guides me along right paths,
bringing honor to his name.
4 Even when I walk
through the darkest valley,
I will not be afraid,
for you are close beside me.
Your rod and your staff
protect and comfort me.
5 You prepare a feast for me
in the presence of my enemies.
You honor me by anointing my head with oil.
My cup overflows with blessings.
6 Surely your goodness and unfailing love will pursue me
all the days of my life,
and I will live in the house of the Lord
forever.
March 01 2009 | Bible and Blog and Christianity and Church and Faith and Family and God and Grace and Hope and Inspirational and Jesus and Life and Love and Mercy and Opinion and People and Personal and Philosophy and Quotes and Religion and Spiritual and Theology and Thoughts | No Comments »
Isaiah 41:9-13 (NIV)
