All Things

Written by Barbara Alpert

Are you confused and not sure what to do or where to turn? Let us pray for you.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28-29)

My husband enjoys Saturday mornings because I usually make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. He has no clue what the required ingredients are but he knows it will taste good when it’s done. The ingredients by themselves would not be appealing to have for a special morning breakfast. Chances are he would gag while eating the dry mix and frown trying to gulp down oil and raw eggs. The only enjoyable thing would be the chocolate morsels, but he’d get sick if he ate a plate of them. However, when all the ingredients are mixed together and cooked they form a delicious stack of chocolate chip pancakes.

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?

Taking The Pressure Off

He [Gideon] said to Him, “O Lord, how shall I deliver Israel? Behold, my family is the least in Manasseh, and I am the youngest in my father's house.” But the LORD said to him, “Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat Midian as one man.”  Judges 6:15-16

Pressure.  Ever felt it?  In sports, we marvel at those who can step up amidst the pressure and sink the winning putt, kick the winning field goal, or make the winning free throws.  

I recently saw the movie The King’s Speech.  King George (B, B, B, Bertie) definitely felt the pressure as he stood to overcome his stammering and deliver the most important speech of his life.  

Have you ever felt great pressure to try to live the Christian life?  Have you ever felt great pressure to be the person God wants you to be?  Have you ever felt great pressure to knock one out of the park for Jesus as you teach or preach or witness or sing or serve in His name?  

Have you ever wilted under the pressure, and then beat yourself up for failing?

Building Muscles of Faith

1 Kings 18:22-36

"I wish I had great faith." These are words that almost every Christian has said at one time or another. But faith is like a muscle, which must be exercised in order to become strong; just wishing cannot make it happen.

Christians are to believe God, not only for salvation but for everything. Rather than a spiritual "plateau," faith is actually a process that involves increasing degrees of trust throughout life. Little faith hopes that God will do what He says; strong faith knows that He will; and great faith believes that He has already done it.

Elijah was a man of great faith. He saw increased challenges as opportunities for God to do His work—and the prophet believed Him for the supernatural. So can you. The Lord may not do every miraculous thing you ask of Him, but He does some extraordinary work in and through each person who is obedient and willing to trust in Him.