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.

The Brightest Colors

"It is good for me that I have been afflicted" (Ps. 119:71).

It is a remarkable circumstance that the most brilliant colors of plants are to be seen on the highest mountains, in spots that are most exposed to the wildest weather. The brightest lichens and mosses, the loveliest gems of wild flowers, abound far up on the bleak, storm-scalped peak.

One of the richest displays of organic coloring I ever beheld was near the summit of Mount Chenebettaz, a hill about 10,000 feet high, immediately above the great St. Bernard Hospice. The whole face of an extensive rock was covered with a most vivid yellow lichen which shone in the sunshine like the golden battlement of an enchanted castle.

There, in that lofty region, amid the most frowning desolation, exposed to the fiercest tempest of the sky, this lichen exhibited a glory of color such as it never showed in the sheltered valley. I have two specimens of the same lichen before me while I write these lines, one from the great St. Bernard, and the other from the wall of a Scottish castle, deeply embossed among sycamore trees; and the difference in point of form and coloring between them is most striking.

New Every Morning

by Gail Rodgers

“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

If you find your heart is longing for a fresh basket of God’s mercies to be delivered to you this morning, there is one place to go: back to His word!

I know it sounds trite to say, “read the Bible.” However, God’s word is life to your soul. Ask Jesus to speak to you through His word. Let His Holy Spirit fill your heart with what the Father knows you need to hear. Today, why not soak in this wonderful treasure from the word of God?

“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

A Prayer for You Today

Dear Father in Heaven, thank you that Your word gives the comfort, guidance and instruction that I need. Bless me today as I seek Your refreshing.

Suffer with Me Awhile

Glynnis Whitwer

"Then he said to them, 'My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.'" Matthew 26:38 (NIV)

I dipped my piece of torn bread in the cup of dark purple juice and placed it in my mouth. I tasted the ripeness of the fruit and savored the texture of the bread. "I will remember, Lord." I spoke the words in my head, silently thanking Jesus for the sacrifice He made for me on the cross.

Within a minute, the aftertaste of the juice distracted my communion meditation. It was more bitter than usual and I thought about taking a sip of something else to remove the flavor from my mouth. Should I grab my coffee, or some water?

Immediately, the Lord spoke to my heart: "Suffer with Me awhile."

Sadness filled my heart as I realized how quickly I wanted to remove the unpleasant taste ... how fast my thoughts drifted from the suffering of Christ to my own comfort. And I wondered how many times my self-focus had led me away from obedience in the hard places of life.

The Bible tells of three disciples who also chose comfort over obedience. On the night of His betrayal, Jesus asked Peter, James and John to watch and wait for Him while He prayed. During the time when our Lord was "overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death," His closest friends couldn't keep awake. Three times Jesus returned to find them sleeping.

Conquer Your Mountain in 2013!

KIM CLEMENT

 

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(© Marrvin | Stock Free Images )

It's almost 2013! Many great things happened during 2012, and even though we faced hardships and trials, which are to be expected in life, we survived and even laughed a lot more than we had in previous years. How can we smile, have joy, and even get excited when we are faced with so much evil and darkness? Well, let's look at a few things before we travel together to the mountain in Israel and hear the Word of the Lord on Dec. 31.

We are NOT going to enter 2013 with one negative word on our lips, but rather the word "CONQUER" will resonate and prepare our path to many victories. You may be saying, "Kim, you're just too positive! How can we truly believe this?"

Sir Winston Churchill was once asked to give the qualifications of a person needed in order to succeed in politics, and he replied: "It is the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month, and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn't happen." That is what is required for politicians, not God's prophets and messengers. Look at Isaiah as an example.

Sarah’s Tent

“Isaac brought her into the tent of his mother Sarah, and he married Rebekah. So she became his wife, and he loved her; and Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death.” — Genesis 24:67

The Torah portion for this week, Chayei Sarah, is from Genesis 23:1–25:18 and 1 Kings 1:1–31.

Nothing can replace the loss of a loved one. But it’s common to feel some degree of comfort when a new love is found – like a new spouse, friend, or baby. So it’s not surprising, Scripture tells us, that “Isaac was comforted after his mother’s death” after he married Rebekah. However, the Sages tell us that Isaac was comforted by much more than the love of his wife. With Rebekah’s entrance into Isaac’s tent, a part of Sarah returned, too.

When Tough Times Come

"Then had the churches rest throughout all Judaea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied." (Acts 9:31)

There are times when life on this earth is hard and uncomfortable...and even downright painful. When those times come, you deeply need the comfort that only the Holy Spirit can bring.
How do you receive that kind of comfort?

The God of Your Buried Dreams

Photo by Rebecca Barlow Jordan

God is not only the God of your buried dreams. He’s also the God of surprises.

Whether you’re writer, a reader, a parent, a grandparent, a single, a spouse, or a senior–I hope you’ll find a piece of encouragement in this short post that will lift you up. At the end of the blog, I’ll explain the picture from my garden that inspired it.

The God of Your Buried Dreams

by

Rebecca Barlow Jordan

Still In God’s Hands

Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Job 1:13-22

In all this Job did not sin nor charge God with wrong. —Job 1:22

During my first year of seminary, I listened as a new friend described her life. Abandoned by her husband, she was raising two small children alone. Earning just over minimum wage, she had little chance of escaping the poverty and dangers she described in her neighborhood.

As a father, I was moved by her concern for her children, and asked, “How do you handle all of this?” She seemed surprised by my question and replied, “We are doing all we can do, and I must leave them in God’s hands.” Her trust in God in the midst of trials reminded me of Job’s trust (1:6-22).

A year later, she phoned and asked if I would come be with her at the funeral home. Her son had been killed in a drive-by shooting. I asked God for words to comfort her and for the wisdom not to try to explain the unexplainable.

Standing with her that day, however, I marveled as again and again she comforted others—her confidence in God unshaken by this terrible blow. Turning to me as we parted, her final words were a poignant reminder of the depth of her faith: “My boy is still in God’s hands.” Like Job, she “did not sin nor charge God with wrong”(v.22).

Is God Really Enough? Part 1

Mary Southerland

Today's Truth
So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, "On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided" (Genesis 22:14, NIV).

Friend to Friend

As I worked through the seemingly endless number of emails, my heart grew heavy and my soul cried out to God - so many women in so much pain. I could feel their fear and confusion in every word. Their circumstances were all very different, but they were all really asking the same question, "Where are you, God?"

I was already tired and overwhelmed, having just returned from speaking at a women's conference in an area of the country where the economy had taken a nosedive. So many of the prayer requests were centered around one deep need – the provision of God. And honestly, I was struggling with the same question in my own life.

I hurt. The doctors said it was fibromyalgia and that the medical world doesn't really understand the disease, so my treatment options were "iffy" at best. I had a lot of questions but no one seemed to have any answers.

The Teacher's Hand

Bruce Howell

A SCHOOL TEACHER asked her first graders to draw a picture of something they were thankful for. She thought of how little these children from poor neighborhoods actually had to be thankful for. She reasoned that most of them would no doubt draw pictures of turkeys on tables with lots of other food.

She was surprised with the picture that Douglas handed in. It was the picture of a human hand, poorly drawn. But whose hand? The other children tried to guess. One said it was the hand of God because He brings the food to us. Another said it was the hand of a farmer because he raises and grows the food.

Finally, when the others were back at their work, the teacher bent over Douglas’ desk and asked whose hand it was. "Why, its your hand, teacher," he mumbled.

LIVE EACH DAY AS YOUR LAST

[God] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God. 2 Corinthians 1:4

On that fateful Sunday morning in January 1996, Joy Dimerin’s beloved fiancé, Severino Bagtasos, was killed when a lone gunman stormed into the church that he pastored and shot him twice. Severino was killed on the first day of the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, in the predominantly Muslim town of Alat on Jolo Island, in southern Philippines. He had a zeal in reaching Muslims for Christ. Joy and Severino were supposed to get married in May 1997.

“By the grace of God, I am doing well and still enjoying the ministry,” testifies Joy. She admits that feelings of loneliness and emptiness were the most difficult things she faced after her beloved Severino died. “I was afraid that I wouldn’t find a godly man like him again,” confides Joy. “I learned to see God’s purpose in my life,” Joy added. “I learned to accept whatever circumstances come my way and look at them as God’s instruments in molding me and in making me a better person. Through [Severino’s] life I learned commitment to the ministry and to prayer. Through his death, I learned to always be prepared to face the Author and Finisher of my faith. Through this tragedy, I learned to live each day as though it were my last.”

Claiming God's Promises

Whatever your situation is, whether you lost your job, lost a loved one, going through a painful divorce or diagnosed with a life threatening disease, do not loose faith! 

There is always light at the end of the tunnel, just as there is calm after the storm. The God who delivered the Israelites out of slavery is still the same God yesterday,today and forever! 

You can take comfort knowing that He will never forsake you or leave you! The bible is full of God's promises, those are His words. Because His words are true and gives life we can use His words to get out of a sticky situation. 

This lens is about learning how to claim God's promises in the midst of the storm. To pray God's words through a time of crises and coming out victorious! 

This lens is for all of you who are facing the storms of life.

http://www.squidoo.com/claim-gods-promises-in-the-storm

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength."

"Do not grieve, for the joy of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10
We all face things in life that get us down, whether it's the death of a loved one, an argument, loneliness, or any other number of things. 


But God's Word tells us not to grieve and find joy in the Lord. 


He is the great Comforter after all =) 


God bless!


godvine.com 

Music for the Dance

 by Max Lucado

Let's imagine that you want to learn to dance. Being the rational, cerebral person you are, you go to a bookstore and buy a book on dancing.

You take the book home and get to work. You do everything it says. The book says sway; you sway. The book says shuffle; you shuffle. The book says spin; you spin.

Finally, you think you've got it, and you invite your wife to come in and watch. You hold the book open and follow the instructions step by step.

You continue to read, then dance, read, then dance, until the dance is completed. You plop exhausted on the couch, look at your wife, and proclaim, "I executed it perfectly."

"You executed it, all right," she sighs. "You killed it."

"What?"

Will the Rope Hold?

Written by Mike Woodard

If you need encouragement during difficult times, someone is always here to pray with you!

The summer between my 3rd and 4th year of university I worked at Yellowstone National Park. It was a great summer, full of adventures and new experiences.

On a day off, I had signed up for a day long class in rock climbing. I was successfully making my way up the side of a mountain when the instructor surprised me with an unexpected challenge, when he said, “I want you to push yourself off and fall on the rope!” Questioning why he would ask me to do this, I hesitated, and he wisely pointed out that, “You will never be a good rock climber until you can trust that the rope will hold you. Push yourself off and fall on the rope.”

20 Things I Love About Being a Mom

BY SUE

1. Hearing “I love you so much, Momma.”
2. Sweet hugs just because.
3. Little people fighting over my lap.  (It really can’t be that comfortable even with all the padding.)
4. Getting to read rhyming stories.
5. Bible stories every day – such a reminder of God’s faithfulness!
6. My little girls joyfully singing songs to me.

Making a House a Home

by Ameerah 

(USA)

Keeper of the Home

"She looks well to how things go in her household, and the bread of idleness (gossip, discontent, and self-pity) she will not eat" -Proverbs 31:27 (AMP)

Is there still respect for the art form known as Christian homemaking? Or is keeping one's home merely a mundane task that is more often rushed through and resented rather than treasured and honored?

PROPHETIC INSIGHTS

But he who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men.' 1 Corinthians 14:3 (NKJV)

PROPHETIC INSIGHTS ARE INTENDED TO STRENGTHEN, ENCOURAGE AND BUILD YOU UP IN THE LORD. MAY YOU FIND COMFORT IN HIS WORD TODAY.

PROPHETIC INSIGHTS

For surely the Spirit of the Lord would say, I have destined you My people. I have chosen you from the foundation of the world. I have anointed you for this day. I anointed you for this hour. And I say no enemy will be able to pluck you out of My hand for you are chosen. You are mine says the Lord, and I will cause you to come into the fullness of your destiny if you will trust Me, if you will seek Me with all of your heart. I will give you the ability, the wisdom, the power, the might to come unto the high realms of My Spirit, to walk in the land of the living in the wisdom and the power of My anointing. I will cause you to have favor in the north, south, east and the west and I will cause you to be able to come forth even as calves come up out of the stall and they are cared for and watched over. I have watched over you. I have kept you. I have chosen you. Let not the enemy steal that which I have invested in your life. Let not the enemy lie and tell you that you have not been called, that you have not been chosen, for I say I have called you with a holy calling. I have given My life that you might live. I have given My life that you might achieve all that I have called you to be. If you could see by the eye of your spirit today, the revelation of the knowledge of God, the revelation of the truth of that which I have ordained in you; you could not be discouraged. You could not be despondent, for I say great is the reward of the righteous and not only in the world to come, but in this life great is your reward if you will trust Me for it, if you will refuse to give up, if you will refuse to let go of My hand, if you will refuse to give up in your prayer life and in that word that I have given unto you. I say I will watch over it. I will bring it to pass and you will become all that I have created you to be; for you are called with a holy calling and you can do it says the Lord.

For this is the hour the Lord is drawing out of the people, out of the depth of your being, out of the very depth of your being says the Lord. I will bring out of you more than you ever thought was even within you. For I declare that I have an investment in you and you are honorable in my sight and I will pour out of your life into the lives of many. I will cause righteousness to prevail and I will cause holiness to indwell you and I will cause the anointing of God to flow out from your life and you will know that I Am is in your midst. And you will know that I have chosen you and that you are precious in My sight. For I say I will move mountains in your behalf and I will cause hidden things to come to light because you are mine and I have chosen you. I have called you and I declare you can do all things for I will strengthen you. I will cause you to be able to overcome every hindrance because it is within you, says the Lord.

http://aquillanash.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=2&Itemid=3

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/