God is Faithful

Helen Grace Lescheid

Take today’s next step: Feeling harried? Take a deep breath and read.

“Because of the LORD’S great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.” (Lamentations 3:22 – 23)

King David, who frequently found himself in deep trouble, wrote about God’s faithfulness often–sometimes from a cave. He fled to the wilderness trying to escape the jealous fury of King Saul. I can see him at the end of another harried day, sitting by a dying campfire writing on a tablet. His ragamuffin group of men had found a place to lie down and sleep. But David couldn’t sleep. With his reputation ruined and his life in danger, David poured out his heart to God in another psalm. Often he would conclude his writing with a joyful declaration of God’s faithfulness.

Where Faith Gets Awfully Messy

Lysa TerKeurst

"Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." Hebrews 11:1 (NIV)

Last year I had emergency surgery on my ears. And while the pain went away, there is still a really loud, constant ringing in my left ear.

Because of this ringing, I've had many sleepless nights. But one night in particular proved to be more than I thought I could handle. The screeching in my ear reached an all time high and not even medication helped. My throat tightened as frustration of this situation threatened to spill out in a million tears. I could feel myself slipping over a terrifying edge ... that edge where hopelessness steps into the moment and you feel too weak to resist it.

PERSISTENT AND PATIENT PRAYER

“As for me, far be it from me that I should sin against the LORD by failing to pray for you.”

 1 Samuel 12:23

An important aspect of prayer is to pray patiently. God meets our needs “at the proper time” (Galatians 6:9). Too often Christians weary of praying, and give up. This is often justified on the basis that God's failure to answer means the request is not according to His will. Remember, God can:

1. Deliver- whatever we ask in His name;
2. Delay- to fit His perfect timing (only He sees the end from the beginning);
3. Deny- and say ‘No’ because we ask amiss or give a
4. Different and better answer.

Jesus urges us to be persistent in prayer (Luke 11:5-8). This does not mean that God does not want to meet our needs and that we need to try to persuade Him. It simply means that only God, who completely understands the whole situation, can know when and how to answer. Only when we have assurance in our hearts from the Lord, should we remove a matter from our prayer list.

In The Face Of Opposition

Written by Donna Mitchell

Take today’s next step: Trying to share your faith but discouraged by a lack of success? It could be that your definition of successful witnessing is incorrect. We can help with that.  

“We also pray that you will be strengthened with all his glorious power so you will have all the endurance and patience you need. May you be filled with joy, always thanking the Father. He has enabled you to share in the inheritance that belongs to his people, who live in the light.”  (Colossians 1:11-12, NLT)

The word endurance suggests resistance.  If there were no resistance – there would be no need for endurance. “Endure” means taking a strong stance and not giving up hope when obstacles or opposition confronts you.

Sometimes, there is more at stake than we realize.

50 MOST IMPORTANT BIBLE VERSES TO MEMORIZEBible

By Sheila

Hello Pinterest friends! Glad you’re visiting. Usually I write about marriage, but I took a detour recently to compile a list of my favourite Bible verses.

Last week I wrote a post complaining that we are “dumbing down” church and school, and don’t require kids to learn mastery of anything anymore. I asked what we could do about it.

And I decided maybe it was time I did something, rather than just complain. 

And so I’ve put together this list of the 50 verses I think are wonderful to memorize. Of course, these aren’t the ONLY great verses in the Bible, and you may have your own favorites that aren’t here. That’s fine! But I thought it was important to start somewhere, and so I put this list together.

The God of Hope

May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. Romans 15:13

I was on the phone an hour with Ray. His wife had contacted me, distraught that he was depressed and had been lying in bed since he broke his neck. Ray was a former pastor and probably knew more scripture than I did. When he didn't respond after an hour, I took a different tact. "Did you see the movie The Shawshank Redemption?" 

The Stubbornness of Hope

Written by Becky Toews

Ten reasons to hope.

“Against all hope, Abraham in hope believed….” (Romans 4:18a)

I’m thankful that hope is so stubborn. If it wasn’t, I think I’d be a goner. Many times my circumstances have tempted me to throw in the towel, but each time I find hope popping to the surface and eventually taking over.

Oh, I’ve tried to resist. I’ve let discouraging thoughts smother the “noble, lovely and praiseworthy.” I’ve listened to the whispers of failure more times than I care to remember. I’ve allowed the voice of disappointment become louder than a scream. But with the predictability of a Hallmark movie, I find that after all my rants and raves, hope stands there quietly waiting. She penetrates my protests with the undeniable assurance that it’s gonna be okay.

Verses of Comfort

When we are feeling lost or frustrated, we can take a moment to see what the Bible says. We pray that these verses will bring comfort and encouragement to you. Just click on a verse to view it.

COMFORT

Ps 46:1-3

Ps 138:7

Ps 18:2

Ps 22:24

Ps 37:24

Nahum 1:7

Ps 37:39

Ps 55:22

John 16:33

Matthew 11:28

PEACE

Isaiah 57:19

Colossians 3:15

Psalm 85:8

Philippians 4:7

Isaiah 32:17

Luke 7:50

Psalm 37:37

2 Thessalonians 3:16

John 14:27

DEATH

Psalm 23:4

I Corinthians 15:55

Proverbs 14:32

Romans 5:9

Hebrews 2:14-15

John 8:51

Psalm 48:14

Psalm 73:26

Psalm 49:15

Isaiah 25:8

FAITH

Hebrews 11:1

Hebrews 11:6

James 1:5,6

Colossians 2:6,7

Ephesians 2:8

Galatians 3:26

2 Timothy 3:14-15

1 Corinthians 16:13

Galatians 2:20

2 Corinthians 5:7

HELP IN TIMES OF TROUBLE

Psalm 37:39

Psalm 146:8

Nahum 1:7

Psalm 37:24

Psalm 32:7

Psalm 71:20

Psalm 42:11

Psalm 73:26

Psalm 91:10-11

Psalm 31:23

LONELINESS

John 14:18

Isaiah 58:9

Isaiah 43:4

2 Corinthians 6:18

Genesis 28:15

Colossians 2:10

Psalm 40:17

PRAYER

Matthew 7:7-8

Matthew 21:22

Isaiah 30:19

1 John 5:14-15

Jeremiah 29:12

Isaiah 65:24

Job 22:27

John 16:23-24

James 5:16

John 14:13-14

http://www.seniorlivingministries.org/verses-of-comfort/

Catalysts for Divine Action

People report that they go through strange things when they are miraculously healed:
-- shaking or shivering hands;
-- heat where a healer and heal-ee make contact;
-- a gift of being led as to what to pray for;
-- the feeling of being 'bathed in prayer', a sense of peace and assurance that there are people really actively praying for the person's wellness, and that God is giving a positive response to their prayers.
-- a 'parting of the fog', a sudden clarity of mind or return of awareness during illnesses or treatments that produce dizziness, extreme weakness, headache, or disorientation.

Pentecostalists dispute about whether the spiritual gift of healing is given to a 'healer' (so said Oral Roberts) or to the 'healed' (so said David DuPlessis). There's reason to suspect that the Spirit is giving matching gifts to both. There are some people who just seem to be able to bring healing with them wherever they go. They act as great catalysts for healing. Yet in order to do the spiritual healing, the Spirit must also be operating inside of the ill person to make the change happen, with or without someone else healing them. The dominant gift, I would think, would be the one to the 'healed' person, as they are the beneficiaries; however, that's by no means clear, and we don't have God's mind so we be certain of what's afoot. Whatever the case, one of the joyful rewards of being in a healing ministry is when you see the Lord bring healing in a way you didn't expect, especially when God gave you a part in what was done.

Someone can talk a lot about spiritual healing, share methods of healing, use anointing oils and liturgies at the scene, discover that they may have a healing touch, teach about intercessory prayer, and learn how to conduct healing services. That's all good, all part of a valid healing ministry. But, unless many actual healings come from that work, that person has less of an actual healing ministry than any of the tens of thousands who take part in prayer chains and hospital visitations for their congregations. Or for that matter, less of a ministry than the countless Christians who are doctors, EMTs, nurses, psychologists and counselors. These unsung heroes of the Christian faith look illness, insanity, human frailty and even death right in the eyes every day. Yet, how often is it that anyone calls big-time attention to them, or stages big church events to whip up a frenzy of praise for them, even after what they did on 9/11? How many Christian congregations fail to even acknowledge such ministries? These people are taking part in what is best seen as a 'Body' gift of healing -- the kind of gift not focused in a single person or moment, but given to Christ's followers as a group as well as to those people within it who take on these tasks.
"Honor physicians for their services,
for the Lord created them;
for their gift of healing comes from the Most High...

And he gave skill to human beings,
that he might be glorified in his marvelous works.
By them the physician heals and takes away pain;
the pharmacist makes a mixture from them.
God's works will never be finished;
and from him health spreads over all the earth."
----- Sirach 38:1, 6-8. (NRSV)

But God Knows the Way

"Behold, I go forward, but He is not there; and backward, but I cannot perceive Him: On the left hand, where He doth work, but I cannot behold Him: He hideth Himself on the right hand, that I cannot see Him. But He knoweth the way that I take: when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold" (Job 23:8-10).

We are finite. God is infinite. We do not know what a day will bring forth. He knows the end from the beginning. There are times when, like Job, we seek earnestly to know the way wherein we should walk, and the thing that we should do, only to discover "that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps" (Jeremiah 10:23).

But God knows the way that the child of God takes. It may be dark, but nothing is hidden to Him. It may be difficult, but He is never dismayed. It may be long, but He never grows weary. It may be lonely, but there is always the loveliness of His presence. But God knows, so we walk onward by faith in life's pathway with the assurance that it leads to glory, and the city of God.

—V. Raymond Edman

http://www.mwtb.org/site/moments-for-you/back-issues/third-quarter-2000/but-god-knows-the-way.html

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/