When the Diagnosis Is Defeat

 

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Written by Ron Phillips

“When adversity comes, you praise God.”

That was what my friend Terry had always been taught. When those tough times come, you just stand there, stare down the storm, and praise God.

However, on January 8, 2012, praising God was not very high on Terry’s priority list. After experiencing some problems, and noticing a lump that had developed only over a couple of days, and that ran from his chest up toward his shoulder, Terry decided to visit his doctor. His doctor was pretty blunt with the assessment:

“You have extensive small cell carcinoma (a very fast growing and aggressive form of cancer). You probably only have 6 to 12 months to live.”

Facing Adversity

By Charles Stanley 

Hebrews 12:1-2

When a child hurts, our focus is to restore comfort quickly. We remove obstacles so that a toddler will have a clear path to walk. And many parents seek to minimize frustration for school-age children by helping with homework-sometimes offering more assistance than necessary. While wanting to ease children's discomfort is understandable, we may inadvertently convey a subtle message that obstacles and pain are to be eliminated at all costs. This viewpoint can get carried into adulthood, and unfortunately, it is a harmful one.

Difficulties are a part of life, and if we expect otherwise, we will be consistently disappointed. Then disappointment, if allowed to remain, can turn us away from the Lord. A lot of time can be wasted trying to avoid trials when we could be trusting God for the future. We also expend energy and prayer power seeking to get out of our tough situations instead of asking the Lord how He wants us to respond. Most importantly, God does not view adversity as the tragedy we interpret it to be. As a result, our thinking is in opposition to His.

Got Faith?

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
"Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil." (Psalm 23:4 NKJV)

Friend to Friend

The greenest grass is always found in the valley. Shepherds and sheep are well acquainted with the fact that both mountains and valleys are an inevitable part of life. Again, the shepherd is the one who has to figure out a way over the mountain and through the valley. If a sheep is injured, the shepherd must carry his sheep and tend to its wounds until they are healed and the sheep is ready to return to the fold. The shepherd's whole world revolves around the safety and comfort of his sheep, even in the deepest valley.

Valleys are a certainty of life. Your job is eliminated. Your husband is having an affair, or your teenage daughter is pregnant. Financial pressure suffocates dreams, or the betrayal of a trusted friend inflicts a wound so deep and painful that you long for that valley of death. Each day is thick with fear, and your heart is filled with disbelief. The valley may suddenly be before you in a time of loneliness or in the shock of a dire medical diagnosis.

Soul Therapy

Creflo Dollar

Have you ever felt as though your problem, circumstance or personal pain, although a big deal to you, seemed too small for God to be concerned about? Quite the contrary is true. God is not only your Creator and Father, but He is also your Provider. He cares about every detail of your life. It is important that you believe that God wants only the best for your life. When you put your trust in Him you will find that no matter what kind of sickness you may be dealing with—spirit, mind or body—He is an expert at healing your hurts and pains and providing restoration.

Sometimes you can become physically and emotionally drained because of your circumstances. We have all experienced times where there is such a burden on our hearts, that the emotions we incur from suffering or worry paralyze us. At times, even your soul—your mind, will and emotions—needs healing.

The Success Test

"But remember the LORD your God, for it is He who gives you the ability to produce wealth, and so confirms His covenant, which He swore to your forefathers, as it is today" (Deut. 8:18).

Muhammad Ali is considered the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He won 56 of his 61 professional fights and knocked out 37 opponents. His most famous catchphrase was, "I am the greatest!"

One day, Ali was seated in an airplane when the flight attendant came up the aisle to make sure that all the passengers had their seatbelts fastened. Reaching Ali's seat, she asked him to buckle up.

"Hmph!" the champ sneered. "Superman don't need no seatbelt!"

Faith Through Trials

Written by Charles Spurgeon

“… for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that your faith —of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire— may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed.” 1 Peter 1:6b-7

Untested faith may be real faith, but it is sure to be immature faith. It is likely to remain immature as long as it never faces difficulties.

When all things seem against it, faith often prospers. Storms are faith’s illuminators. When a calm reigns on the sea, spreading a ship’s sails is futile because the ship will never leave its harbor. 

God in the Winter

Written by Charles Spurgeon

“It was you who set all the boundaries of the earth; you made both summer and winter.” Psalm 74:17

My friend, as we begin on this wintry month, begin it with God. The cold snows and the piercing winds all remind us that God keeps His covenant in day and night, and assures us that He will also keep the glorious covenant which He has made with us in the person of Christ Jesus. God, who remains true to His Word during the turning of the seasons in this poor sin-polluted world, will not prove unfaithful in His dealings with His own well-beloved sons and daughters.

Winter in the soul is often an uncomfortable season. If now you are facing uncomfortable circumstances or discouraging experiences, it will feel very painful to you. But there is comfort in the fact that the Lord makes both summer and winter. He knows your pain. He sends the sharp blasts of adversity to nip the buds of expectation. He scatters the frost like ashes over the once lush meadows of our joy.

Myth: “If I’m a good Christian, then nothing bad will happen to me.”

Genesis 50:20

This isn’t what I asked for, thank you. I want my old life back.

The one where my parents were the perfect couple. Where I was the only one among my friends whose parents were still together. And seemingly still in love.

The one where I was voted most likely to succeed and everyone, right or wrong, envied my life because it seemed so perfect. And I believed it was.

I want to go back to the times when I knew You were involved in my life. The ones where I prayed and You answered. I talked to You, and You listened. The times when I knew You were alive. Loving. And on my side.

I want the life where all I had to do was show up for class, and I got good grades. Name a job opening, and I landed it squarely. Speak my needs, and my husband moved heaven and earth to meet them.

The Joseph Story

Written by John Grant

“All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation.” 2 Corinthians 5:18

Recently, we attended a drama presentation of the story of Joseph and his family. The Bible story became alive to me as I witnessed one of the greatest stories of reconciliation.

God prepares His servants in many ways to accomplish His purpose. The story of Joseph is repeated every day in the lives of His people. The circumstances may be different, but the results are the same. God trains His servants through sometimes difficult “boot camps.” When that training is complete, He places them in strategic places to be a provider-both physically and spiritually.

WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO PRAY FOR BLESSING?

Sheila

I’m on Twitter. I love Twitter. I can send out little soundbites about my day, complain about aches and pains or the weather, or make little jokes, and get instant feedback. It’s fun!

And I have a lot of followers, and I follow quite a few. Yesterday this Tweet came across the board from a certified Life Coach. She said:

Start by blessing yourself. “May I be safe, may I be happy, may I be healthy, may I live with ease.”

I thought this was interesting. I’m speaking at a retreat as you read this (I actually wrote this post and scheduled it to appear today), and I’m speaking exactly AGAINST all of those things.

Our Intercessor in Time of Need

by: Alan Bullock

When you consider the weakness and failing of modern man, is it any wonder that God sent Christ to die for our sins?  He saw to it that a Mediator bridged the great divide between the holy and unholy, thus securing our access to Him so that we might come with assurance to the throne of grace (1 Timothy 2:5).While still living behind the Iron Curtain, my wife Anoosh was attending a large secular University studying linguistics.  Many of her professors were Communists and disliked the fact that Anoosh was an outspoken Christian.  Before her graduation and final exam, they planned to find a way to cause her to fail by asking her questions on her philosophy exam that she couldn’t possibly answer. Our Cornerstone
Unmarred and multi-hued Cornerstone,
Holy One of Israel sits upon His throne.
The spotless Lamb, slain for humanity,
Intercedes for us in His glorious Divinity.
In Him, no stained soul of imperfection,
Our Father of lights of infinite perfection,
Shining bright upon His opulent throne,
The Rose of Sharon calls us His very own.
Oh Great God of peace and Holy love!
The Messiah Incarnate, Sacrificial Dove;
Wondrous Redeemer, ransomed Son,
Because of Calvary, our victory won.In addition to studying, Anoosh prayed and asked God to deliver to her the answers to the questions they would ask.  That night in a dream God did exactly that.  During the exam the next day she was able to answer every question correctly because the Lord had given her the answers. The professors were amazed and two of them ultimately became Christians because of Anoosh’s faithful witness and outspoken faith in Christ.

While Christ isn’t there as our Santa Claus, ready to shower us with presents or provide a solution to every small issue that may arise, He is always there to intercede during times of adversity.  He is most certainly there when He knows the outcome will touch lost souls, leading them into the Kingdom and bringing glory to the Father.

Take heart, dear friends.  To this day Christ continues to insure our blessedness as He stands in the gap on our behalf.  He is able to do far more abundantly than we can ask or think (Eph 3:20-21).  What strength, what love and what hope!

Who is he that condemns?  Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us (Romans 8:34).

Hope in Christ gives us a spiritual confidence and conviction that there is a better tomorrow.

http://www.daystar.com/devotions/our-intercessor-in-time-of-need/