Category: Blog

“A man’s steps are established by the Lord, and He takes pleasure in his way. Though he falls, he will not be overwhelmed, because the Lord holds his hand. I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or his children begging bread. He is always generous, always lending, and his children are a blessing” (Psalms 37: 23-26 HCSB).

Those words are a comfort to many. They are reassuring. It doesn’t make any difference whether the circumstances are great or small.

Everything that happens in our lives has a purpose. It is up to us to figure out why. One thing is sure, He is there with us—every step of the way. 

Now that I am old, according to my daughter, I need to be more cautious. Even though I think I am, I know that God is protecting me. He has in the past, present, and will in the future. One of the big things we tend to forget is that the Lord is always with His children. It doesn’t make any difference whether His family realizes it or not; God is faithful and true to His word all the time.

The book of James says, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:2-5 NIV).

Trials produce patience, and patience enhances wisdom. Trials have a way of developing more faith in God. It is that faith that enables the child of God to please Him (Hebrews 11:6 NIV).

Whether times are good or not, God is always with us. Prayer is our way of communicating with Him. It does little good for believers to take a long walk with a companion, and not talk to each other. Our Christian walk needs not only companionship but also conversation. So, let’s talk with God and follow His instructions.

Do you really believe this title? Many will answer no. But I do believe He is in charge of everything. All things do work together for good to those who love Him (Romans 8:28). That is a hard verse for some to understand and that includes me. When circumstances are unexplainable, beyond our reasoning ability, that’s the Bible reference for me to claim.

When finances go awry, sickness comes, huge disagreements are had with someone and the list goes on and on, how do you go on? Some just put on their shoes and start walking. Others want to analyze everything. Then, there are a few who give up. Hopefully, some will pray and wait for the Lord to answer BEFORE doing anything. Prayer helps, especially in times of tumult.

Not only can prayer help, but also reading your Bible. I can remember years ago in my spiritual immaturity, the situation demanded an answer that I didn’t have. So, I prayed a short prayer and asked God to show me His will. I picked up my Bible and just randomly opened it up and looked on the open page for His answer. There it was—a verse—that was the solution. That was the first and only time I sought His response in that way. I would not recommend it for everyone, but it worked for me that time. Since then, I wait for the Lord to work things out in His timing.

Whatever your situation, let God be in charge. The Lord knows best. He also knows the timetable in which to work. I have found repeatedly, He knows what and when to do His work so that He gets the credit for His work. That is an important lesson for each of His children to learn regardless of our age.

Interestingly, God has revealed to my heart He knows what He is doing no matter what I think. The big word omniscience (my definition—He knows everything) brings an expanded understanding to my little brain. Learning by faith to trust Him is a great thing to practice. I hope you can trust Him more.

These questions will arise if you sit still long enough to consider the future. How does my future look? Will I get sick? Will I run out of food? How will the bills be paid? Some serious questions with just a few answers. 

Uncertainty is the word for the day. What to do is the question. The instructions to students, workers, and everybody in between is to stay home. Most are complying. Some are not. Specific vocations are essential—health care is an example. As the situation goes from bad to anxiety-driven, people are getting more concerned. 

The previous questions will call some to look to the Lord for answers. There will be many who will get serious about talking to Him to supply the items of need. 

There can be a great peace over those who walk with the Lord. Their quiet dependence and trust will appear strange to others. The silent assurance that God is in control will be misunderstood by many. The Psalmist says, “I have been young, and now I am old, yet I have not seen the righteous abandoned or His children begging for bread” (37:25 CSB). That sounds pious to many, but it is the reality of the power of prayer. That makes this real. Trust in God is faith in action. God always does what is best for His children. Yet many times, most of us misunderstand His actions entirely. 

What is the purpose of life’s events? The ultimate objective is to bring glory to God. 

Circumstances happen, and the timing of the Lord intends to assist people in their spiritual walk and for others to start a personal journey with Him.

When the events of life are totally beyond being understood, this verse comes to mind. It’s how I settle things in my heart. The verse states, “We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28 CSB). This verse has settled issues in my heart when I want to ask why? All I know is the ways of the Lord are beyond my limitations and abilities. 

So, in times of uncertainty, all we can do is trust Him to work everything out according to His ability.

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God is in the business of causing mankind to see the impossible. To see what is not yet. Seeing requires faith. Faith, not in things or people, but God. The belief that God can do the impossible is necessary. 

To build our faith, believers need to look to the Bible for confirmation. Some do not believe that God still performs miracles today. They believe miracles do not happen today, probably because they have never had the faith to believe God answers prayer. Asking God to intercede in the events of life requires faith. Trusting God to alter the routine procedures of life requires a developing relationship with Him. 

One doesn’t need to be a famous person to see divine intervention. An unnamed man was cutting wood with a borrowed ax. Somehow the ax head flew off the handle into the Jordan River. The young servant was devastated. So, the man of God threw a stick into the river, and the ax head floated to the top where the young man retrieved it. 

Also, in the same chapter of II Kings 6, the Syrian army had surrounded the village of Dothan overnight to where Elisha resided. When his servant went out the next morning, all he saw was the vast army surrounding their village. He was scared. So, Elisha prayed that the young man would see God’s chariots of fire protecting the town. He saw the Chariots of Fire.

Jonah’s background was unknown until the Lord told him to go to Nineveh to share the good news. Jonah didn’t want to go to Nineveh because of their reputation. Their ungodly, evil living and cruelty were notorious. Jonah couldn’t see their spiritual turn-around. All he could see was the present harmful condition. Even later, the conversion of 120,000 people didn’t make Jonah happy in the Lord.

If we try and honestly put forth the effort, God will not hold us accountable for their demise. But for trying, God will reward every effort on our part. Galatians 6:9 (HCSB) tells us, “We must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.” What an encouragement. We need to remind ourselves. Maybe even place a note in a prominent place to remind us often of God’s provision.

The New Testament tells us to look at the harvest fields of souls needing a relationship with Jesus. In Matthew 9:37, Luke 10:2, and John 4:35, it appears by the present spiritual condition of God’s children, no attempt to harvest the world will happen. Is it because we cannot see? Do not care? Refuse to try to obtain what God has put in front of us?

Do we still believe in the impossible? Do we trust the Bible? Our answer is yes. So, we do understand God can use us. Then we need to put our feet to our belief and trust him to do the impossible.

God occasionally nudges us to do something specific for Him. He may impress a verse directly to our hearts. Scripture can jump off the page in our Bible reading. The words of a child may stab us in our hearts. Whatever method God uses, He gets our attention.

Jonah had one of those moments. God’s voice spoke plainly to Jonah. I want you to go to Nineveh and proclaim My Word. 

Nineveh was a wicked city. Its reputation was well known and about 600 miles from Joppa by sea and land. Instead of seeing the opportunity to be used by God, the fear of man took over.

In the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus (later known as Paul the apostle) was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians. As the city came into sight, the Lord struck Saul with blindness. After three days, God instructed Ananias, a certain disciple, to go to the street called Straight. Upon arriving, he restored Saul’s sight.

God’s children need to know you cannot outrun God. He knows where you are regardless of where you hide. When you play hide and seek with God, you always lose. Think about this situation. The Lord knew Jonah was inside a fish. He also heard the prayer that Jonah offered.

What does it take for you and me to surrender to God? When the God of the universe wants His children to do something, He will enable you to accomplish the assignment. So, when Jonah surrendered his will to God’s will, the Lord delivered him to dry land. The Lord in His patience confirmed His assignment to Jonah—Go to Nineveh (a gentile city) and proclaim the Word of God.

Jonah kept saying to himself on to Nineveh, on to Nineveh, until he was three days from the heart of this city. Then Jonah began his God-given message. The city repented becoming believers, including the king.

What a revival. Did Jonah rejoice over this great accomplishment? No. Jonah decided to pout and sulk. Instead of being happy, he wanted to die.

God used Jonah to bring a revival, but he refused to enjoy the moment. Jonah could have instructed 150,000 new believers in how to live for God. Maybe Jonah wanted God to rain down fire and brimstone on the city as He did to Sodom and Gomorrah.

When our wonderful all-powerful God uses us in a way that does not satisfy our expectations, do we have the right to get mad at Him?  

We are to obey Him.

God is in charge, not man. 

Sometimes we get things mixed-up.

So, when the Lord gives you an extra nudge, be the obedient child of God and complete the task. Be thankful that The God of the universe chose you to be His instrument for service.

Something to ponder. If Jonah was happy that God used him, how would the last chapter of Jonah be written? The book abruptly ends with nothing else about Jonah.

The Bible gives a number of illustrations of God speaking to individuals. It could be an audible voice, like Paul on the Damascus Road. It was a once in a lifetime happening. Salvation is a once in an eternity event. It is unforgettable. 

Moses had a burning bush experience. A bush was burning, but not being consumed. So, Moses had to go and see. His curiosity led him to an encounter with God. After a lengthy conversation and lots of excuses, Moses finally said yes to God. The Lord truly is patient to allow any man to rationalize with Him before saying yes. The Lord does not mind an honest inquiry.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, questioned how she could have a child without knowing a man. Upon the explanation, she said yes. No more questions. A real example of faith in action.

The apostle Paul, known previously as Saul, had an encounter with the Lord on the Damascus Road. Jesus asked him why was he persecuting Him? To get Paul’s undivided attention, Paul was blind for three days. That had to make Paul think. After his sight returned, he served the Lord for years. Now think about the number of people who prayed that Paul might quit persecuting believers. There had to be thousands of unnamed Christians praying for him.

Fast forward 2000 years. Can you hear the Lord’s voice? Would you say that God doesn’t speak to people that way today? Maybe that’s your opinion, but I know differently. No, I’m not crazy, but I know how He gets my attention. He speaks to my heart. Let me tell you about some of the ways He speaks to me.

When the Lord speaks, it’s always with some divine intervention. Someone shows up at just the right time unannounced. The appearance may be in person, or someone felt the need to pray for you. Whatever your need, someone is interceding for you. God uses people to help other people. 

The overlooked thing about divine intervention is other people. Somewhere an individual or individuals are praying for you. They may be next door or hundreds, maybe thousands, of miles away, and you have no idea that they are praying for you. All you know is that you get your answer to your prayer. You thank God for his divine intervention.

Maybe the next answer to your prayer, you will take the time to say thank you to the God of heaven for speaking to someone to pray for you. Oh,! God, would you tell them I said thank you should be my prayer.

So, maybe when our incredible Lord speaks to your heart about a particular individual, you will stop whatever you are doing and offer a prayer for them. God will impress your heart with the person and their needs.

That is part of the law of sowing and reaping. We can all talk about it in eternity. What a delightful conversation that will be when we are reminiscing how our God got our attention to pray for someone else at a specific time.

This message is for me, but you can read it. You have my permission. Are you running from one situation to another? You put out one fire, and then you see another one burning. Grab the water hose and extinguish it. It is the mission of the day. By the time the fire equipment is in its proper place, there’s another one burning bigger than the last one.

Sound familiar? Probably. Too familiar. Huh.

Headaches every day, take a couple of pills and keep on going. How long do you keep going? Usually, till something gives. You. Them. Employment maybe. What does it take until you honor yourself? Yes, I said it. I’m guilty of all the above.

Is this some kind of scenario? No, just real life. It’s Sunday, went to church, came home, took some ibuprofen, and laid down for 15 minutes. It turned into 45 minutes. Now I’m going to be late for a meeting that is 45 minutes away. I got in the car and started the journey. One-third of the way there—headache still there.  Made a decision. Turned around and headed for home. Going to miss this meeting, the first one in 3 years, not feeling very well. Felt guilty, so I self-indulged. Stopped for ice cream, the first in weeks. It didn’t satisfy.

Reached home, picked up a book to read, and got my mind to relax. There it was—a section on relaxation. It reminded me not to feel guilty and enjoy some “self” time.

Even the God of creation took a day off. He rested on the 7th day (Genesis 2:2). If God set the example, wouldn’t it be wise if we do the same? It is a principle that many people do not follow until something happens. Reread the first part of this paragraph. Read it again and again and again. Did you get the message? I did. Now the question is, can I follow my own advice? I hope so.

I’ll let you know in a couple of months from now in a future blog.

Maybe it’s time you decide to follow God’s pattern, too. There will always be fires of situations burning. Let someone else grab the water hose and put out some of the fires.

Fire isn’t just for Hell. There will be a fire in Heaven. The height of its flame will be higher than we thought possible. The fuel for this fire is surprising to most Christians. It will be our works, not the actual tasks, but the motives behind them. I Corinthians 3:13 NKJV states the burning this way, “Each one’s work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one’s work, of what sort it is.” There will be a revealing of the true intentions of our deeds. Why did we do certain things? Who were we trying to impress? Man, or God?

Part of the Christian’s eternal reward is an evaluation of our actions for Him. Were they really for Him or an attempt to look good in the eyes of our peers and friends? The ultimate test for us regarding our actions is fire—a visible, revealing truth concerning the motive for each of our deeds. Just like the purifying of precious metals—silver or gold—the smelting pot reveals impurities. After the removal of the contaminants, the real, pure metal is brilliant. The fire in heaven removes – burns – all the contaminates of man’s actions. The spotless remains are the rewards that Jesus will bless.

This evaluation will take place at the Judgment Seat of Christ in Heaven (II Corinthians 5:10). It is there that each person will receive their “just” rewards. Those that have been tried by fire.

How big will your fire be? The size of a match, a campfire, or a bonfire. Maybe it would be good for each believer to do some self-inspection of our lives and contemplate our motives for some of our actions. Are they to look good to friends, co-workers, etc? Hopefully, we do right because that is what God wants us to do, all the time. Even when it may hurt us. It’s the eternal picture that we must keep in mind. We certainly do not want to see a bonfire in Heaven, burning up our deeds.

Some people never seem to stand out in a crowd. They’re the quiet ones. Hardly ever noticed, yet, still there. They are part of the group, but seemingly not part of the crowd. Society calls them introverts. They’re usually the silent ones and often the smarter ones.

Extroverts are quite the opposite, always talking, laughing, and expressing their opinions, no matter what. They know everything about everything and everybody. When they open their mouths, they usually reveal something about their intelligence or lack thereof. Extroverts, although prominent, have a way of saying too much sometimes. They may lack compassion at times, so they will tell you what they think regardless.

Love is an introverted characteristic. Sometimes affection is better communicated without words than with a lot of words—actions best express love. Many times, their efforts go unnoticed, but at least they are sincere, and this sincerity is always there. The Apostle Peter spoke at times before he thought. He was the extrovert of the disciples and their spokesman. Sometimes he put his foot in his mouth. Words are just words, but the motive behind the words reveals the love of the one acting. 

Real love requires a commitment that reveals sincerity and genuine, honest devotion. Christ commands husbands to love their wives. Interestingly, the Bible talks about the man doing the loving, but not the wife (Ephesians 5:25a). 

Christ demonstrated His love of the church by giving Himself for it (Ephesians 5:25b), laying down His life for it.

The New Testament church shows their Christian love in their worship and actions.

We celebrate Valentine’s Day in February. It’s a day that we honor those that we love. Husbands and boyfriends usually give cards, candy, flowers, and/or special dinners in an expression of their outward love. That’s the extrovertedness in us.

The introvert, however, does the thoughtful, little things. Most of the time, they go unnoticed, but they are the actions that are valued because they reveal the heart. It’s those thoughts that build relationships beyond what words can describe.

Most introverts live in the shadows of others that go unnoticed by the crowds. It’s after they’re no longer with us that the realization becomes evident. We will miss their thoughtfulness. The quiet little things that went unnoticed are appreciated later.