A Promise for Every Problem

RACHEL BURCHFIELD

0

0

0

0

Even if God’s ways are hard to fathom, get a grip on His promises and hold on.

Are you having a hard day? A hard week? A hard life? Are you facing difficult circumstances that seem to have no solution?

If so, I have good news for you: God is thinking about you right now as you read this article. He knows what kind of day you are having. He knows your greatest burdens and your deepest dreams. He cares. And He provided a solution for your problems before they ever existed through the promises in His Word. All 7,487 of these promises were given to guarantee your victory. All you have to do is lay hold of them, as the Bible encourages us to do:

"Let's keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. He always keeps His Word" (Heb. 10:23, The Message). We know we will not be disappointed, for "all the promises of God in [Christ] are Yes, and in [Christ] Amen" (2 Cor. 1:20, NKJV).

How God Works Behind the Scenes to Position You for Miracles

SANDRA CLIFTON, D. MIN.

 

385

 

5

 

6

 

542

 

(© Ctpaul / StockFreeImages.com)

“Wait, wait—look!” I exclaimed to my husband, Terry, on our morning walk. “Where did that come from?”

There, before our eyes was a flower, purple and pink with long soft petals. After a particularly long, cold winter, the flower was a miraculous reminder of spring!

But there was something else even more amazing than the first spring flower emerging after winter. This extraordinary, colorful flower had pushed through the least likely place—a dirty, ragged crack to the side of the cement sidewalk.

Snug and secure out of the flow of foot traffic, it looked as though this tiny flower had been placed there by a loving hand, for a reason—to simply grow and blossom, despite all odds.

Detours, Billboards and a Man Named Paul

Written by Kristi Huseby

       “For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord.

“They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11, NLT)

In Michigan we jokingly say that there are two seasons – winter and road construction! With road construction come detours and lots of them. Can I just say . . . I hate detours! They’re inconvenient, unplanned and usually make me late! (Mainly, that’s because of poor planning on my part but it’s great to have something else to blame.)

I don’t like detours in my life anymore than I like them on the roadways. Detours have a way of making me feel like my life is spinning out of control. I often find myself holding my breath when this happens, hoping the damage will be minimal and everything will stop spinning soon.

Divine Diversions

Our Daily Bread 

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Matthew 1:18-25

And he called His name Jesus. —Matthew 1:25

I tend to get stuck in my ways, so anything that diverts me from my routines and plans can be very annoying. Worse yet, life’s diversions are sometimes unsettling and painful. But God, who said, “My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” (Isa. 55:8), knows that He often needs to divert us in order to make more of our lives than we would have if we had stuck to our original plans.

Failure is Not Final

For a righteous man falls seven times, and rises again. Proverbs 24:16

A few years ago, we bought a Garmin GPS unit for my daughter, Amy. Like her dad, she was not blessed with a good sense of direction. We knew Garmin could help her with that challenge.

One day, Amy, Debbie and I were traveling together with Garmin leading the way. Unfortunately, I missed a turn ... and Garmin let me know. She could have said, "You missed the exit, moron. You are going to have to turn around." But, Garmin is very polite and encouraging. When you miss an exit, she doesn't berate you, she just says this important word, "Recalculating." That means, you messed up, but let me find a new route to get you where you need to go.

GOD IS LIKE GARMIN

Jesus Christ is so concerned about every detail in our lives

Word from Scotland: 

Take John Chapters 13,14 as one sweeping incident. After all that is what it is, and the chapter divisions can be such a hindrance at times. They are quite artificial and remember they were added many years after the Scriptures were written.

In John Chapter 14 at verse 6, Thomas is looking a bit worried. Right to the end Jesus said things that gave His disciples worried looks. Thomas is almost cheeky. You know where you are going but we don’t know where you are going so how can we know the way. Jesus is so lovingly patient.

If it were not for these words of Thomas we might never have had these famous words in verse 6. I am the way and the truth and the life – no man comes to the Father except through Me. You know the way because you know Me. I am the way. When you know me you know the way. These sentences know no parallel anywhere.

Ever Surrendered?

And I shall lift up my hands to Your commandments, which I love; and will meditate on Your statutes. Psalm 119:48

Operation Desert Storm of 1990, do you remember it? It was our definitive answer to Psycho Sadaam Hussein’s brutal and unprovoked takeover of oil-rich Kuwait.

I remember watching footage of that military offensive. Sadaam called it the mother of all battles, but the truth of the matter was the Iraqi soldiers were ill-equipped to take on America. In one memorable scene, the Iraqis surrendered to U.S. military without even a shot being fired. They came out of their bunkers with their hands in the air – the global sign of surrender.

A surrendered soldier has ceased fighting. He has relinquished his weapons and his rights. He is now pliable and agreeable to the will of the conqueror.

SURRENDERED?

A Question With No Answer

"You asked, ‘Who is this that obscures my plans without knowledge?’ Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know." — Job 42:3

There are many different reactions to tragedy, but one response is universal — asking why. Job, like everyone else, tried to understand God’s ways. Why do bad thing happen to good people? Why do the wicked experience so much good?

While Job’s friends insisted that Job must have sinned, he knew, and we know from the text, that he hadn’t. Most of the book is dedicated to Job and his friends trying to answer the timeless question for which an answer has never been found.

Finally, God Himself appeared to Job and answered his question with another question: “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand” (Job 38:4). Translation: “Why in the world would you expect to understand My ways? You are finite, I am infinite! I am the creator, you are the creation. Can a painting understand the artist that painted it?” Job acknowledged his limited knowledge and said, “Surely I spoke of things I did not understand, things too wonderful for me to know.” And with these words, Job found comfort at long last.

Overcoming Obstacles

"In the land of Uz there lived a man whose name was Job. This man was blameless and upright; he feared God and shunned evil" — Job 1:1

Israel’s Moran Samuel made her country proud when she won the gold medal at the international rowing competition in Italy earlier this spring. She made us even prouder when she sang Israel’s national anthem, the Hatikva, on her own.

Apparently, the Italians did not have a copy of the right recording. When Moran realized that there would be no anthem played as she received her award, she asked for the microphone and simply began singing it herself, completely cool and collected.

When Moran was interviewed by the news shortly afterwards, she had this to say: “If you look at an obstacle as an obstacle, there’s a good chance it will knock you down. If you look at an obstacle as a challenge, then you’ll do the maximum to overcome it. There can be small challenges, like the anthem and me taking the mic and singing, and there can be bigger challenges.” She should know. She’s been paralyzed from the chest down since she was 24.

THE ONLY LIMIT TO FAITH

Romans 10:17 - Faith comes from hearing, and hearing by the word of Christ.

When people struggle with their faith in God, it's not because their faith-object is insufficient. It's because people have unreal expectations of God. They expect Him to operate a certain way or answer prayer a certain way--their way, not His--and when He doesn't comply they say, "Forget You, God." But God doesn't change; He's the perfect faith-object. Faith in God only fails when people hold a faulty understanding of Him.

 If you want your faith in God to increase, you must increase your understanding of Him as the object of your faith. If you have little knowledge about God and His Word, you will have little faith. If you have great knowledge of God and His Word, you will have great faith. Faith cannot be pumped up by coaxing yourself, "If only I can believe! If only I can believe!" Any attempt to push yourself beyond what you know about God and his ways is to move from faith to presumption. You choose to believe God according to what you already know to be true from His Word. And the only way to increase your faith is to increase your knowledge of God, your faith-object (Romans 10:17).

How To Be Really Free

Written by Helen Grace Lescheid

How can we pray for you today? 

“Jesus replied, ‘…So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.’” (John 8:34a, 36)

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

How do you feel about the word “surrender”? It’s not a popular word in our culture. We are afraid that if we surrender we’ll be oppressed. Maybe a person in authority has abused us and colored our concept of surrender.

I have a friend who spent three years in a Japanese prison camp. He witnessed cruel beatings and insults on a daily basis.  Even now, many years later, he is afraid to give himself to God. He thinks he’ll lose his freedom.

When Life Seems Unfair - Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.

by Joe Stowell

• Subscribe on iTunes
• Play MP3 (Mobile)

Our Daily Bread Radio is hosted by Les Lamborn

Read: Psalm 73

I was envious of the boastful, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. —Psalm 73:3

Bible in a Year:
2 Kings 24-25; John 5:1-24

Have you ever felt that life is unfair? For those of us who are committed to following the will and ways of Jesus, it’s easy to get frustrated when people who don’t care about Him seem to do well in life. 

A businessman cheats yet wins a large contract, and the guy who parties all the time is robust and healthy—while you or your loved ones struggle with finances or medical issues. It makes us feel cheated, like maybe we’ve been good for nothing. 

If you’ve ever felt that way, you’re in good company. The writer of Psalm 73 goes through a whole list of how the wicked prosper, and then he says, “Surely I have cleansed my heart in vain” (v.13). But the tide of his thoughts turns when he recalls his time in God’s presence: “Then I understood their end” (v.17).

When we spend time with God and see things from His point of view, it changes our perspective completely. We may be jealous of the nonbelievers now, but we won’t be at judgment time. As the saying goes, what difference does it make if you win the battle but lose the war?

Like the psalmist, let’s praise God for His presence in this life and His promise of the life to come (vv.25-28). He is all you need, even when life seems unfair. 

All wrongs will one day be set right 
By God who sees both bad and good; 
All motives and all deeds will then Be fairly judged and understood. — D. De Haan  

  Spending time with God puts everything else in perspective.

http://odb.org/2011/05/16/when-life-seems-unfair/