Category: Blog

Taking time for yourself is not selfish. A busy person may think, “I don’t have time to do so.” Burning the candle at both ends cuts the life of the candle in half. Yes, the light is brighter for a while, but for how long? Soon, there is darkness.

The psalmist wrote, “Be still, and know that I am God” (46:10 KJV). An active person doesn’t know how to be still. You fight inactivity like a three-year-old not wanting to take a nap. Naps or breaks in your schedule are good. They reenergize you.

The believer may learn this lesson from a child or a hospital bed. Jesus even realized He needed rest (Luke 8:23). If the Son of God needed a nap, what does that say about us?

Several weeks ago, I hit a mental brick wall. Creativity vanished. My solution was to post excerpts from previous books. This week, I decided to quit hitting my head against the brick wall and instead do some enjoyable reading. Being still, refreshing my soul, and refilling my tank.

High-octane activity drained my inner creativity and motivation. Then I stumbled (Holy Spirit intervention) on the above verse. While I thought, I decided to read some seldom-read versions of the Bible in my library. “Let be and be still, and know (recognize and understand) that I am God” (Amplified Bible). Then reading The Message, stating “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

The word “traffic” caught my attention in the verse. I had to remind myself to quit watching everything and look to God. See who I am. God—the Almighty—nothing is too hard for Me. Then, for some reason, I read the same verse in the Christian Standard Bible, “Stop your fighting, and know that I am God.” 

Question, “How long have we meditated on our all-powerful, all-knowing, caring God?”

If you set aside a minute or two and reflect, it will change your day.

When you know the answer, why do you ask questions? In the above book, Jesus asked the Disciples 90 questions. Below are excerpts from the book, He Had To Ask, 

SEIZE THE MOMENT TO WITNESS  

Do you not say, “There are yet four months, then comes the harvest”? Look, I tell you, lift up your eyes, and see that the fields are white for harvest!  

John 4:35 ESV 

Picture this: in a profound conversation with a Samaritan woman at the well near the village of Sychar, the Lord revealed Himself as the “I AM” (v. 26 NLT). Her reaction was immediate. She rushed back to the village, proclaiming, “Come, see a man who told me all that I ever did!” (4:29). The news spread like wildfire, and the men were eager to meet Jesus.  

How would you respond if someone knew all your past? What would you do? 

A TWO-WAY STREET 

How then will you understand all the parables?  

Mark 4:13 NKJV 

When Jesus asked the disciples, “How will you apply what you have learned?” He challenged them to depend upon God. Depending upon Him is a daily adventure. Trusting God for His leadership in each situation can be a challenge. One never knows when serious issues, such as health problems, financial difficulties, or relationship conflicts, will present themselves.  

A daily breakfast in the Word provides our strength for the day. 

PRAYERS COUNT 

Do you not yet perceive nor understand? 

Mark 8:17b NKJV 

The spiritual understanding of Christians is always a work in progress. It was true with the disciples 2,000 years ago and is true today. The more we pray, the more we grow spiritually. The more we grow spiritually, the better our service to the Lord.  

THE LOAD IS LIGHTER 

Are your hearts hardened?  

Mark 8:17c ESV 

Why do we soon forget what Jesus has accomplished in our lives? How He has orchestrated our steps to be at the right place and time to hear the life-transforming gospel.  

When we accepted the gospel, the Lord gave us eternal life with Him (John 10:20). After that, we realized we were changing because of the indwelling Holy Spirit. We became new creations to walk in the newness of life (2 Corinthians 5:17; Romans 6:4). 

KEEP THE ETERNAL PICTURE IN SIGHT 

What do you want me to do for you?  

Mark 10:36 ESV 

We are like these disciples sometimes. Occasionally, we ask God for things totally out of place for us—responsibilities and things that are not ours to have—duties we cannot rightfully manage. God’s answer of no is a reminder about asking God for some wrong things. Before asking, it’s worthwhile to think about what you are requesting Him to do. This introspection can prevent us from being presumptuous or overly selfish in our asking. We are all guilty of being selfish in our prayers, but we can strive to do better.

In case you are interested, They Had To Trust is available at:

Barnes and Noble: ebook version: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-had-to-trust-frank-caudle/1147939154

paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-had-to-trust-frank-caudle/1147939154?ean=9798988459507

Kobo:

ebook version: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/they-had-to-trust?srsltid=AfmBOop2wOEMR32VMTYs_VUyeGRlr0phERlUJXThXvfq8qHLjOuYJoW9

Amazon:

paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMMZWGMC/

Wherever you are in life, you need encouragement at times. The short excerpts from the book They Had To Trust may be for you. Hope you enjoy.

Abigail

Abigail . . . was a woman of good understanding and beautiful appearance

1 Samuel 25:3 NKJV

Abigail, the wife of Nabal, lived to do right.

Abigail’s arranged marriage to Nabal was a disaster. Her husband was a well-known scoundrel who took advantage of any situation for his own good. 

Bad relationships are terrible. What can you do? Endure, bail, or try to make the best of it.

Amos

Can two walk together, except they be agreed?

Amos 3:3 KJV

Unqualified describes Amos’s thoughts about himself. He’s uneducated. His only meaningful conversations are with sheep. They aren’t the most intelligent animals in the world. Sheep do have one outstanding quality: They know their shepherd’s voice. Because of that, they follow his voice wherever he goes.

Amos learned to converse with the Lord long before the Lord gave him an assignment. Talking to God is one thing for the believer, but listening to God is quite another…

Andrew

He first found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah” (which is translated “the Christ”), and he brought Simon to Jesus.

John 1:41-42 CSB

Some people are unique, unusually distinctive. They tend to walk to the beat of a different drummer. They may be part of the crowd but are quiet, always accessing their surroundings. That’s Andrew. He was one of the Lord’s twelve disciples, and before he saw the Lord, he was a disciple of John the Baptist. Upon seeing the Messiah, Andrew followed Jesus and stayed with Him (John 1:35-40).

Daniel

Daniel made up his mind that he would not defile himself

Daniel 1:8 NASB

As a child in your church, you heard about Daniel. What you may not know is his heritage. He was a descendant of the tribe of Judah, a lineage known for its faithfulness to God. He became an immigrant as an innovative, fast-learning, handsome, competent young man.

Captured and transported 600 miles to…

In case you are interested, They Had To Trust is available at:

Barnes and Noble: ebook version: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-had-to-trust-frank-caudle/1147939154

paperback: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/they-had-to-trust-frank-caudle/1147939154?ean=9798988459507

Kobo:

ebook version: https://www.kobo.com/ww/en/ebook/they-had-to-trust?srsltid=AfmBOop2wOEMR32VMTYs_VUyeGRlr0phERlUJXThXvfq8qHLjOuYJoW9

Amazon:

paperback: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FMMZWGMC/

The two-letter word in the above title resonates in our ears. We’ve heard it since childhood, but we still don’t like it. These two letters go against our wants and desires. No means we can’t have something. Something that we really want.

I want to take you back 2,000 years to the Passover meal—the Lord’s Supper—of Jesus and His disciples. During the solemn meal, Jesus announced that one of the 12 disciples would betray Him. Shortly afterward, Judas left the room. The remaining 11 and Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane. There, the Lord separated Himself from His disciples to go a little deeper into the garden to pray. The Lord spent three hours praying in three different one-hour sessions. After each session, He returned to remind Peter, James, and John to pray. They were tired and fell asleep while the Lord agonized in prayer. 

Jesus knew He had come to this earth for the purpose that would take place in the next few hours, His crucifixion. In His earthly body, knowing what was ahead, our Lord asked His heavenly Father for a special request. “Father, is there any other way to redeem mankind without me dying on the cross?” Jesus knew the pain He would endure; His back being ripped to shreds, the nails, the jolt to his body as the cross hit the bottom of the hole so that it would stand upright, and the struggle to breathe while He hung between heaven and earth. 

Jesus asked, “Is there another way to redeem man?” His Father, our God, said no, the ultimate no, the big no! “Only your spotless, sinless blood can redeem mankind.” Jesus, in His humanity, accepted the will of God. He gladly, willingly went to the cross for you and me because of His deep love for us. 

There are times every day, even when we offer our prayer requests, God says no. He is not being mean, but wants to help us. Our heavenly Father does so for our benefit. We may not like it, but He knows best. Later, we may understand His answer, or we may not. However, we must remember that God always knows best for us. 

When you hear no, think of our Lord. He complied with His Father’s  answer no, so you and I can have heaven as our eternal home with Jesus. 

Thank God for His no’s. 

I’ve never seen a real igloo. I can only imagine living in an icehouse. I cannot think how it would be without heat, and the front door is always open.

Nomadic people living above Canada’s Arctic Circle experience mostly sunshine or darkness, depending on the season and wind. Oh, and lots of ice! My emphasis is on their living style. Isolated, withdrawn.

Their isolation aspect is similar to that of a portion of our society. Age, health, loss of family, or introversion are only some of the reasons for their isolation. 

Yet, in our close-knit social circles, we can invite people to birthday events, picnics, and various celebrations, but church—well, that’s another story. Have you ever wondered what makes us hesitate to invite others to join us in worship? 

Let’s look at the other side of not extending an invitation to attend your House of worship. Jump forward to eternity, to the White Throne of Judgment, and your friend stands there! This judgment is where all people without Christ will receive their official eternal sentencing to the Lake of Fire. Your friend stands there wondering, “Why didn’t someone tell me about Jesus?” It’s a haunting scene. But now it’s too late—nothing can change the condemnation from Jesus. 

The eternal consequences of not sharing our faith are grave. So, do we stay in our isolated igloo, or do we crawl out? The time is now. If you have the ability, will you join the few who will tell others about Jesus or not?

It’s a choice we make-to stay isolated or to reach out to those who need encouragement to listen to the message of salvation. Remember, it’s only you who can give the invitation. 

Why me, Lord? It’s a question that every believer has asked at some point when we think about our adverse circumstances. We have no explanation. There’s no connection to our past, and indeed, we can’t see the future. We wonder what the Lord is doing in our lives. 

We reason within ourselves that there must be a purpose, but what? We can’t come up with a conclusion. Sometimes, we ponder too much. Then there are times we search for the answer to no avail. Other times, we forget the thought and move on with life. 

Some people pray about their thoughts, seeking the Lord’s guidance. Often the conclusion is “And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 ESV). 

By faith, we accept God’s answer to our hearts without understanding the why. We trust the fact that God, in His sovereignty, knows what He’s doing and why. The Lord always knows the timing of each of our happenings. He also knows the reason or lesson for us to learn and share. 

Maybe our experience is to accept the fact that God knows what He’s doing. Perhaps God is connecting our actions and thoughts so that we can apply them to our own lives. Oftentimes, the Lord’s maneuvering is for us to trust Him even when we don’t understand.

We all need to accept that God knows the future. He wants us to trust Him. His purpose is an application of encouragement. We also need to recognize and take comfort in the fact that it’s the Holy Spirit who brings those thoughts into our lives while guiding us in our faith journey.

You should recognize the fact that God always knows what He’s doing. There are no surprises for our God. All things do work together for good. Even though we can’t see or understand them, we know that we will see His perfect timing in eternity for the things going on in our lives.

“But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name” (John 20:31). 

John was one of the Lord’s twelve disciples. This disciple was the one whom the Lord gave the responsibility of caring for his mother. John was also the only apostle to witness Jesus’ death. By God’s grace and leadership, he wrote five books of the New Testament: John, First, Second, and Third John, and Revelation. He wrote more scripture than any other disciple. 

What were some of the forever things written by John? 

First, let’s pay tribute to our heavenly Father. John 5:19 states, “Truly I tell you, the Son is not able to do anything on his own, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father does, the Son likewise does these things.”  Our heavenly Father is our ultimate source of strength. Even Jesus admitted that He could do nothing without His heavenly Father. 

Secondly, Jesus acknowledged His eternality. Jesus said, “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “the one who is, who was, and who is to come, the Almighty” (Revelation 1:8). Jesus admitted He is the beginning and the end. (Alpha is the 1st letter of the Greek alphabet, and Omega is the last letter.) In other words, Jesus has always existed. 

The Holy Spirit, as John described, is our counselor and truth-giver, who is the third person of the Trinity. Scripture records Jesus stating, “And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of truth” (John 14:16-17). 

For anyone to believe, they must recognize that God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit are always honest, and their truth is permanent: “I give them eternal life, and they shall never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand. My Father, who has given them to me, is greater than all. No one is able to snatch them out of the Father’s hand”  (John 10:28-29). 

The reason you are reading this is that you have experienced salvation. The following is the fifth of the six forever’s in this blog. Second John 2 states, “Because of the truth that remains in us and will be with us forever.” This verse reminds us that nobody and nothing can ever remove salvation from us. 

The life that Jesus extends towards His children is eternal, never to be removed. The Bible recorded, “I have written these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life” (1 John 5:13). 

These six verses reiterate that every child of God is His forever. No one can take salvation from you, nor can you ever lose it. 

Now, armed with the knowledge from God and the Bible, you can be certain that you have eternal life. 

All of the above scripture is from the CSB

An open-door approach to opportunities is before you. As you trust in God’s plan for you, it isn’t just about some opening. But your faith in God will guide you through if you allow Him. The devil will do what he can to distract you.

Some individuals work hard to create opportunities, while others have circumstances fall into their laps. Chance is a haphazard way of accomplishment. If you believe God is in your situation, then accept whatever’s before you and do it to the absolute best of your ability to please Him. Waiting doesn’t mean sitting and resting, but doing what you know is right in His eyes. If perchance the Lord wants to increase your status, He will open the doors in front of you. Then you have a choice to make. Stay where you are or go through His open door to serve Him. 

Instead of standing, waiting, or looking for a sign, be diligent where you are. Trust in God’s unique way of leadership and serve faithfully. When the time is right, God will lead you to the door of opportunity. Then it’s up to you to open it. 

Inside the door, there may be obstacles, big ones sometimes. Your history of dependability in your past locations is what God is looking for. We can look back on the life of Moses. He was a shepherd for 40 years. While doing so, he learned how to depend on God and Him alone. Moses protected sheep and kept them from harm, which was part of his leadership training. Yet, Moses offered God his excuses at the burning bush. God knew of Moses’s excuses and weaknesses years before.  

When the Almighty taps you on the shoulder and says, “Do that,” then rest assured, God knows what He’s doing by choosing you. The Lord already knows you will do His will. Yes, it may be unfamiliar territory for you, but our Lord knows tomorrow, your future, and He selected you. Stop for a minute and think. God would not have chosen you to be a failure. 

His opportunity is before you, and you will be wise to walk through His open door for His glory. 

I’m old enough to have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of the astounding attributes of the young is their imagination. The stuff of dreams with no limits. No power needed, just your imagination.

Man’s visualization of heaven will always brighten our days. Our eyes have no way of seeing what God has prepared for His redeemed. No words are adequate in describing the glorious essence of God and His heaven, even in our greatest moments of wondering. What heaven will be like is beyond our mind’s capability.

Our wonderful, holy, all-powerful God has prepared a glorious place for each of His saints. Then, it is beyond our mind’s capability to imagine just how great heaven is. My imagination will always fall short of what it’s like to see Jesus for the first time. The apostle John fell at the Lord’s feet as if he were dead upon seeing the glorified Jesus (Revelation 1:17).

The preceding verses in Revelation 1:13-16 describe the Lord’s heavenly appearance: holy, awesome, wonderful, and all-powerful. The Lord’s heavenly features are impossible for believers here to visualize—his piercing eyes and the voice that demands our undivided attention. The holiness of Jesus is beyond our earthly comprehension.

When we go before Him, we will answer for our lives and all our unforgiven words, thoughts, and actions, which is a reminder to believers that our prayers are paramount. Doing God’s Will should supersede all our other desires, yet He knows we get sidetracked with different things and lose our spiritual focus because of the temporal.

There’s a yearning in us to improve our service and relationship with the Lord. The question is, can we refocus our thinking and priorities? Our answer may be a yes or maybe a no. But always try to improve for the glory of God.

I’m old enough to have grandchildren and great-grandchildren. One of the astounding attributes of the young is their imagination. The stuff of dreams with no limits. No power needed, just your imagination.

Man’s visualization of heaven will always brighten our days. Our eyes have no way of seeing what God has prepared for His redeemed. No words are adequate in describing the glorious essence of God and His heaven, even in our greatest moments of wondering. What heaven will be like is beyond our mind’s capability.

Our wonderful, holy, all-powerful God has prepared a glorious place for each of His saints. Then, it is beyond our mind’s capability to imagine just how great heaven is. My imagination will always fall short of what it’s like to see Jesus for the first time. The apostle John fell at the Lord’s feet as if he were dead upon seeing the glorified Jesus (Revelation 1:17).

The preceding verses in Revelation 1:13-16 describe the Lord’s heavenly appearance: holy, awesome, wonderful, and all-powerful. The Lord’s heavenly features are impossible for believers here to visualize—his piercing eyes and the voice that demands our undivided attention. The holiness of Jesus is beyond our earthly comprehension.

When we go before Him, we will answer for our lives and all our unforgiven words, thoughts, and actions, which is a reminder to believers that our prayers are paramount. Doing God’s Will should supersede all our other desires, yet He knows we get sidetracked with different things and lose our spiritual focus because of the temporal.

There’s a yearning in us to improve our service and relationship with the Lord. The question is, can we refocus our thinking and priorities? Our answer may be a yes or maybe a no. But always try to improve for the glory of God.