BREAKTHROUGH BLESSINGS

Today is the last day of July. That would mean, unless Jesus comes tonight, there will be an August 1st. I have spent the entire month of July reflecting over the last book on hardship. I found that though it was very Biblically based, it was not very encouraging or life-changing. I would recommend it to read but would not say that it has the power to provoke life-change. In this month of July, I have felt extremely discouraged throughout. It has been a fight for joy and many times defeat. I feel like right now I really need to return to prayer. The book on unanswered prayer was quite encouraging to me and I feel it is time to return to prayer. There are so many impossible situations in my life right now. My health condition, my joblessness, my singleness, my family's salvation, my house in the Bay Area, my ministry and purpose in the church. My desire is that August be the breakthrough month and so the title of this next book is called "Breakthrough Prayer" (Cymbala, 2003). It is not like God is distant today. In fact, God has seem more real today than any day this month. There have been two situations I have been praying for. First, I have now been on a colon cleanse for eight days, and 18 days on a paracleanse, and it had been very discouraging. Each day there were only small amounts of stool eliminated from my system and yet I ate quite a bit. However, this morning, shortly after waking up, I had a massive elimination of stool. I never thought I would be so happy and be so thankful to God for releasing stool, but I had been so glad that all that waste material is out of my system. I had been praying for three weeks for this. Second, all last week, my brother's car was in the shop because of an accident, and the week before that my parent's car was in the shop for repair. It was difficult for everyone to be sharing one car and so then the subject of buying a car came up. We put it on hold, and asked God's leading in this area. My dad for some reason has wanted a minivan for some time as he sees a need in the church to provide transportation for both elderly and the children. Well, just yesterday, my cousin went into to see the value on her car which was priced at $1100. Seeing how little she could get for it, she decided not to sell it and decided to give it to us this morning. It is a minivan about ten years old. God knew our need and not only that, our desire. He knew my dad's heart to provide transportation and provided the resource. I have seen today how God is so awesome and He sees our needs and wants and provides. We've never received a free car from anyone in our lives, and this is totally God. The van is kept well and even smells new, but my cousin wants a new car. I never even thought of what just happened. I think of Ephesians 3:20-21 and how God is able to do beyond what we can ask or imagine. We are so often too easily pleased with less. And so today totally has been full of God moments.      
The author opens with these thoughts:

"It was a sweltering night in New York. My wife, Carol, and I along with a handful of others had gathered around the altar of our little church in Brooklyn. As we stood together in that rundown building, tears flowing freely and our voices lifted in prayer, we knew that our struggling church faced problems only God could defeat. If anything was going to change, if the church was ever going to reach its potential, one critical ingredient was absolutely required. We could not live one more day without breaking through to the blessing of God.
But what exactly was this blessing we sought? As the young pastor of that inner-city church, I was beginning to realize that the blessing of God is something very real and tangible. It can change a man's life, transform a neighborhood, invigorate a church, and even alter the course of history. Often it is given to the most unlikely people, like a friend of mine whose life seemed cursed from the start. He is a great example of the difference God can make."
The story of the Brooklyn Tabernacle is a remarkable one with very humble start. Cymbala briefly tells of its early struggles. We all long to break through to the blessing of God. I want that for my life. I want that for my family. I want that for my church, community, and nation. That is a deep thirst that comes in our lives when we realize we cannot live another day without breaking through to the blessing of God. This is when situations seem so bleak and beyond hope, a lot like how I have felt in July. Cymbala goes on to tell the story of this young man whose life was changed.
"The young man's life continued to cycle downward. What else could happen to a kid who had been cursed by his own mother, abused by a father who was a satanic priest, and dedicated to the devil?
Nicky Cruz soon became the warlord of a vicious street gang called the Mau Maus. The smoldering rage inside him found expression in violence, crime, and bloodshed. He was a twisted psychopath who frightened even his friends. (A police psychiatrist told him after an evaluation that he was on a fast track to the electric chair.)
Then one day God sent a street preacher, named David Wilkerson, who dared to proclaim the gospel of Jesus Christ to him. Incredibly, the gang leader surrendered his life to Christ. The change was instantaneous. Instead of being full of tortured, self-destructive rage, the young man became filled with love and compassion for hopeless cases—kids like him who seemed bent on destroying themselves.
Before long, Nicky began attending a Bible school in California, where he met his future wife. Later, Nicky returned to Puerto Rico and witnessed the conversion of his mother. Over time, the Lord opened doors all over the world for him to share his story, and he became one of the greatest evangelists of his generation. Untold thousands of people have been led to Christ by this man once dedicated to the devil. Today his four daughters and their husbands and children are all serving the Lord.
The curse on Nicky Cruz was real, but God's blessing canceled the curse.1"
God's blessing canceled the curse. I have read so many books that talk about generational curses and so often feel like I am on some kind of curse. Was my sight impairment, joint problem, joblessness, depression part of a curse placed by someone? I don't know. I feel like my life has been one continual struggle. Yet, Nicki also had a rough and violent life but God's blessing broke the curse. God turned a hopeless situation around by the power of His gospel. In this month of July, I have doubted in God's power and presence to change things around for the better. O, how I desire for August to be the breakthrough month.
"Although God has richly blessed us over the years in some dramatic ways, I'm convinced that the kinds of blessings we enjoy are intended for every church and every believer who earnestly prays for them.
In the Bible we see, first of all, that God's blessing is a reflection of his incredible love for his creation. While it is invisible in its essence, his blessing is invincible, overcoming everything that earth or hell can throw against it. This blessing is rooted in the ancient instructions God gave to Moses to be carried out by the high priest of Israel:
The Lord said to Moses, "Tell Aaron and his sons, 'This is how you are to bless the Israelites. Say to them: "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine upon you and he gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace."' So they will put my name on the Israelites, and / will bless them" (Numbers 6:22-27).
This practice of conferring a priestly blessing in the name of the Lord is what separated Israel from the people around them for all the centuries of its history. Only God's covenant    people    enjoyed    the divine blessing. A nation favored and protected by the Lord, they knew that God had promised to listen to their prayers and be attentive to their problems. The God of the universe had turned his face toward them so that they could receive   his   supernatural   grace. What a privilege to live under the Lord's favor, to daily experience his blessing! What enemy could intimidate them when God was with them in power?
The good news is that God is still a blessing God. In fact, the Bible could be characterized as a book revealing the Lord's intense desire to bless every man and woman he has created.
If this surprises you, you have only to consider the fact that love always desires to bless the object of its affection."
I love this last statement that love desires to bless the object of its affection. We live under God's grace and God's protection as His children and church. God's favor and love shines on us. I think if I had not gone through the stool elimination and witnessed our cousin giving us her car, I would not believe so strongly in God's blessing and kindness towards His children. I am so convinced today of God's lovingkindness. God has an incredible love for His children. Cymbala then draws a human comparison. He says that around Christmas time he is not thinking about what gifts he will receive but what to give to his kids and grandkids. That is how it is like with God. That is how it is with someone who we love. We long to pour out our blessing on who we love.
"This explains why the Hebrew word barak and its derivatives are used more than 330 times in the Old Testament. It's the word for "bless" or "blessing," a word first mentioned in Genesis 1:22 regarding the creatures of the sea: "God blessed them and said, 'Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the water in the seas.'" If God desired to bless crabs and tuna, just think of his interest in helping you and me, creatures who are made in his image! In fact, the very first words recorded after the Lord created Adam and Eve are these: "God blessed them" (Genesis 1:28).
God's blessing was also the secret behind Noah's escape from the flood. Scripture tells us that "God blessed Noah and his sons" (Genesis 9:1). The divine blessing also enabled them to face the daunting task of leaving their ark of safety and starting over. God blessed them first of all by delivering them from judgment and then by providing for them and making them fruitful as they built a new life together."
I love it when there are insights from Hebrew. When a word is used that often, it must be a significant word. That is how it is with the word for blessing. We find in Genesis, God's desire to bless. We see His provision and protection on Noah and his family after the flood and during the flood. Noah was totally dependant on God and God would come through for Noah, His love is shown for Noah and his family for whom God chose. Noah is a kind of picture of the church and the Christian. He saved Noah and God saves us. He provides and protects. The comparisons can be made at many levels and God's desire to pour out His love. Cymbala then talks about the blessing on Abraham on Genesis 12 and how God will turn Abraham into a great nation and the author says this is God's desire for us to become something greater than ourselves and the result is that God's glory will be shown throughout the earth. God blesses us so that we can display His glory.
"According to Scripture, God's blessing can rest on both men and women, because with God there is no gender bias. His blessing can rest on a family, a child, or even unborn offspring. It can prosper a local church in such measure that an entire city or region will feel the effect of God's favor on that congregation. God's blessing can rest on the labor of our hands, our personal finances, or our physical well-being. In fact, Moses told the Israelites that "the Lord your God will bless you in everything you do" (Deuteronomy 15:18). Think of the vast potential we have if we live under the blessing of God!"
The potential is certainly there. Imagine what can happen to individuals, churches, communities, and nations if Christians live under the blessing of God. Yet, there seems to be a blockage to the blessing for many. I think sometimes we don't even know how to receive God's blessing. Sometimes hardships appear to negate God's blessing in our lives and yet this statement was so encouraging for me. "Nothing can overcome the blessing of God on our lives even though he permits us to face battles along the way. Even the hardships and conflicts we endure are part of his plan to bless us." Sometimes we think if we go through difficulties, God has turned His back against us like how I have felt in the month of July, I have felt like God has forgotten me and that God does not care. Yet, nothing can overcome God's blessing in our lives.
"You remember what made Jabez stand out in his generation: "Jabez cried out to the God of Israel, 'Oh, that you would bless me ... I'" (1 Chronicles 4:10). Jabez, it seems, could not accept the idea of living without the blessing of God. Please notice the emphatic words, "Jabez cried out." His was no mere mental prayer, but the deep cry of a soul that could not live without an open heaven above him.
Jabez's prayer reminds us of Jacob, one of the patriarchs of Israel, who also had a breakthrough time of prayer with God one day. One night Jacob wrestled with God-in-the-form-of-a-man and afterward uttered a sentence that has inspired many people throughout the centuries to fervently seek God for more. As the man sought to leave, Jacob responded, "I will not let you go unless you bless w<?"(Genesis 32:26).
This kind of passionate, desperate prayer is definitely out of vogue today. Maybe that's the reason we experience so little divine blessing on both the church as a whole and her individual members. So often we seem content with the status quo rather than reaching out for more of God. Because of this, we seem to have little effect on the world around us."
What seems to be missing in the church today is real, passionate, spiritual hunger for God. We are far too content in how things are. I think that happens when everything seems fine. There is this feeling of contentment that all is well. I have noticed this in my own life. I pray very shallow and lukewarm prayers. When we go through difficulties, prayer is no longer shallow and lukewarm, it becomes urgent cries to God. We need to recover this in our churches, a real crying out to God.
"Another vital channel of blessing comes from God's precious Word, the Bible. I read a certain passage from Revelation many times over before I came to understand its critical significance: "Blessed is the one who reads the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear it and take to heart what is written in it" (Revelation 1:3). Though this is the introductory passage to the book of Revelation, I believe this promise of blessing is a valid promise that applies to every line of Scripture. A tremendous blessing awaits each of us every day in the Word of God! When we read with a sincere desire to hear God and take his truth to heart by faith, we will receive favor from him.
. Think of all the blessings we squander by allowing ourselves to become too busy to spend time with God's Word. Though some believers are in such a woeful backslidden state that they have lost all desire for the Bible, many people want to read it but simply can't find the time. Yet it's more than just a matter of time. Reading the Bible on a regular basis involves engaging in spiritual warfare, because Satan doesn't want us to read it. He knows God intends to bless us through the Bible, so he tries to make us think we are too busy. God helps us to defeat him and his crafty strategies to keep us from the blessing that God wants to give us every day as we come into contact with his Word."
This is another key part to receiving the blessing. I also struggle with this. I have had sweet times of fellowship in the Word of God, but it remains a struggle. I don't feel like reading, I feel tired, or doubtful in God's goodness and so I avoid reading and days turn to a week. It is a real spiritual battle to be in God's word daily and really hold on to His promises for our lives.

"Perhaps the most critical key in opening a channel for the blessing of God is the one we often find the most difficult: the matter of obedience through faith. Obedience, of course, is a first principle of spiritual life in Christ: "For surely, O Lord, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield" (Psalm 5:12).
Who are these righteous people who are surrounded and protected by the blessing of God against every weapon and attack of the enemy? They can't be people who are morally perfect, for there are no such people. No, God's blessing is reserved for those who long with all their souls to walk in his light and holiness. The righteous in this context are those who will not tolerate sin in their lives but who are always quick to confess their disobedience and seek mercy from the Lord."
This is the third and perhaps most vital key to God's blessing. It is really hard to bless someone who is rebellious. I see this in children. A parent longs to bless but when a child is always going against the parent it makes that relationship really hard. It is not like the love from that parent ends, but the blessing becomes harder to give. So it is with us, God longs to bless His children whose hearts are fully His. There is one final key to God's blessing the author mentions and it is a rather interesting one when we consider the theme of this chapter.
"What a marvelous, compassionate God we have! He always has a special place in his heart for the vulnerable, weak, brokenhearted, and rejected among his people. This provision was especially touching because aliens were not even part of the chosen people of Israel. Yet the Lord looked out for them! Compassion and concern for the downtrodden, then, is not merely part of a "liberal agenda," but is rooted in the very heart of our Creator.
However, there was even more to the third-year tithe than supplying the needs of Levites, aliens, orphans, and widows. Israel was to give generously "so that the LORD your God may bless you in all the work of your hands." It seems that the act of joyfully giving to others actually opened up the windows of heaven so that the people themselves could be blessed.
God still wants to do extraordinary things for followers who imitate him in compassionate giving. How many blessings have we missed out on through stinginess and having a "me-first" attitude? How much more might we receive if compassion and openhandedness characterized our daily living? What a profound and far-reaching truth the Lord revealed to the apostle Paul when he taught that "it is more blessed to give than to receive" (Acts 20:35)."

Giving compassionately to those in need is the fourth key to God's blessing. At first glance we wonder what does compassionate giving have anything to do with God's blessing. Very little one would think. But, the more I know God, His heart is for justice and compassion especially of those in need. We are most like God and do what He delights in when we give compassionately to those who really need it. I can kind of picture this if I had a child. I smile at the act of when my child takes off her spring break to help build houses for Habitat.
Cymbala closes with a story of when Nicki Cruz and his church went to Peru for missions. What happened was a reporter had a very angry outburst in confronting Nicki: "We in Peru need a former Puerto Rican gang leader to
 tell us about God? I resent you even being here in our country!" What Nicki says in response is powerful:

"Thank you very much for your honest question," he began. "Let me tell you a little about my life. I used to like to hurt people. I got my kicks from messing up people pretty bad. In fact, I used to like hurt people just like you."
What? Where was Nicky heading? I started praying hard!
"But that was a long time ago, before Jesus changed my life. I didn't come here as an American or as a Puerto Rican, but as a Christian who has been changed by the power of God! You're right, America is a messed up place in many ways, but that's why I leave my wife and four daughters and travel so that people there can hear about the love of Jesus. You live in a beautiful country, but Peru needs Christ just like the rest of the world. And because Jesus changed me from a wild, hate-filled, violent animal on the streets, I want you to know about his power, too."
"The same God who has blessed and used Nicky Cruz to help others is able to do the same for you."
Prayer:
Father, here is a beautiful illustration of Your power, love, and blessing. You change lives and totally transform them for Your glory and the salvation of nations. Indeed, You are a big and global God. I desire Your blessing, not for myself, but I seek Your blessing that I may be a blessing that Your glory will be displayed in my life and that many would come to know You. It is not easy as we have learned. We must cry out to You, spend time in Your word, desire to do Your will, and learn to give compassionately and honor You in all that we do. This is the life You intend to bless. I desire to be a man who You can bless and that I can be a blessing to many. I see Your Father heart to give and to love. You desire to pour out Your love and affection on Your beloved. I am so encouraged in reading today about Your heart and nature. Lord Jesus, I am not content with how things are. I see so many impossible situations and the feeling like there is so much more, and I feel tired of how things are. I seek Your blessing, Your power and love in my life.

Contentment Where ?

This is now the final chapter and the end of this book. Interesting that this final chapter is on the subject of contentment. I am a little conflicted about this chapter. He ends on this note that marks his entire book and Theology. This is what I have issue with in this book and more specifically conservative Theology. This author does not appear to ask God for the impossible, to dream and pray big. In that way, this author does not inspire or provide much encouragement. As I reflect over these thirty chapters, I really did not feel that encouraged while reading this book. I do like how he remains true to the Bible and uses many Biblical examples, but he does not provide much from his own life or modern times. Overall, this book has not really encouraged me during my difficult journey. For some reason, I felt far more optomistic after reading the previous book. If I would rate the book in different areas it would be:
Biblical:10/10
Readable: 9/10
Inspirational: 5/10
Practical: 7/10
Grade: 62%
With that said, contentment is something I do need to think about right now and for this the author turns to Paul:

"Do your circumstances bother you? Are you at that place in life where you wish nothing would change, and yet evewthing is changing? Are you having to adjust to new surroundings or new people? Then Paul has a good word for you "For I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content" (Phil. 4:11).
It is a great mistake to build your happiness on circumstances or things, because circumstances change and things have a way of wearing out and losing their value. True internal peace cannot be based on changing external things. We need something deeper and more satising.
Yet most people build their happiness on the passing, external things of this world. And, for this reason, they are never really happy.." (p. 151).
It is true our contentment must not be based on temporal things. Our jobs, our lives, the lives of others change. I was so happy when all my Davis friends were around and now so many are scattered. The face of small group has completely changed. So many things change. Change happens. So what does Paul teach us about contentment?
"The word content does not mean "complacent." Paul was anything but complacent! He felt the burden of lost souls and carried the gospel to city after city regardless of peril or persecution. Nor is contentment a dreamy attitude or vague feelings that lift you out of the world and make you immune to trouble and trial. Some people are always looking for new ways to be immunized against the hurts of life or protected from the bumps and scars of life. This is not contentment.
Actually, the word Paul used is best translated "contained." It carries the idea of self-sufficiency. In other words, Paul is saying, "I don't depend on things on the outside, because I carry my own sufficiencv on the inside." This inner sufficiency, of course, is the power of Jesus Christ in Paul's life, for he goes on to say, "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."
Contentment, then, is actually containment --having the spiritual resources within to face life courageously and handle it successfully. Contentment is divine adequacy. Contentment is having that spiritual artesian well within so that you don't have to run to the broken cisterns of the world to get what you need. The power of Christ in the inner man is all we need for the demands of life. Resources on the outside, such as friends and counselors and encouragements, are only helpful as they strengthen our resources on the inside." (p. 152)
There is a right way and wrong way to deal with life's difficulties. The author is not telling us to be passive or to look to something that numbs the pain. Both ways are wrong. People turn to drugs, to sexual encounters, and to alcohol to escape life's problems. Some also turn to junk food and sugars. When I was an undergrad and felt depressed, I would go to the nearby Starbucks. This soon became a problem when once I drank a coffee drink and began feeling lightheaded. No, these are not lasting ways to solve life's problems. I like how contentment is found inside. It is the inner sufficiency and spiritual resources to deal with life's difficulties.
"Whether Paul was in prison or in a palace, whether he was with frierds or with enemies, he had an inner sufficiency from Christ that carried him through.
How does this inner contentment reveal itself? To begin with, we have a peace that keeps us from falling apart and doing impulsive things. We have a patience that sustains us when all around us seems to be disintegrating. There is an inner peace and poise that makes us master of the situation--victors, not victims. We are able to look the situation right in the eye, face it honestl>; and deal with it intelligently and courageously.
Read Acts 27 and see Paul's sufficiency ota board ship in the midst of the storm. Paul went on that ship as a prisoner, but before long, he was the master of the ship! When others had given up, Paul announced that God would spare their lives. He could say, "Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God .... "Paul had learned by experience how to be adequate through Christ for any situation of life.
This secret is not for apostles only; it is for any Christian who will learn it. Listen again to Paul's inspired testimony: "I have learned the secret of being content, no matter what situation I arn in .... I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." (p. 155)

Prayer:
Father, I've come now to the last paragraph and last chapter. I was initially put off by the title of this chapter. Yet I have come to understand contentment does not mean passivity. It is the sustaining resources of the Spirit. Father, I need this peace in the midst of my challenges. I don't feel like a victor, but a victim and a defeated man. Help me to see Your sovereignty and goodness in the midst of my hardship and to trust that You are still Lord and God. Protect me from the negative thoughts and harmful options that we are prone to when going through tough moments. Provide me with the wisdom and leading to make right choices concerning my well-being..

Give Me This Mountain

I like the title of the chapter. It does not tell us much about the contents other than the fact it is a statement of faith. It also appears to ask for the difficult. We find in the early sentences which Bible text the author is talking about and which person made this statement.

"Every nation has its forgotten heroes, and this is true of Old Testament histow as well. We readily think of men like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, Moses, or David. But how often do we Bear about a man named Caleb? When Caleb was eighty-five years old, he came to Joshua to claim his inheritance in the Promised Land. He said, "Now therefore give me this mountain." What an example Caleb is for us today!" (p. 146)
Imagine that, the man and his condition. Caleb is indeed one forgotten hero of the Bible. We more commonly remember Joshua since there is a book with the title of his name. The lesser hero is Caleb. The second key feature here is his age. He is 85 years old when this is recorded. Imagine having such faith and boldness at such an age. I am 31 way less than half his age and I struggle right now to ask for the impossible.
"What are some of the lessons we learn from this forgotten hero, Caleb? For one thing, we learn that the defeats of others need not make us losers as well. Because of the unbelief of the ten spies and the rest of Israel, Caleb bad to wander in the wilderness for forty years, when he could have been enjoying his inheritance. But Caleb didn't give up just because the majority was wrong. Caleb continued to trust God, knowing that one day he would claim his inheritance.
Perhaps you are suffering because of another's mistakes or sins. Look at Caleb and learn the importance of trusting God in spite of what others do. Like Caleb, we can afford to wait, knowing that one day God is going to honor our faith and give us our inheritance. Caleb's body may have been in the wilderness, but his heart was in the Promised Land. Isn't that the way we Christians should live? Our citizenship is in heaven--our hearts ought to be in heaven. Keep trusting the Lord; your inheritance is secure with Him." (p. 147)
Caleb waited 40 years because of the mistakes of others. He had faith while the great majority doubted God's promises. Caleb was in a difficult place, the wilderness, but his eyes were on the promise land from God. How hard it must have been to keep his eyes on the promise land. The wilderness is really a bad place to be when you know there is a promise land nearby. Right now, I am in a wilderness. Today has been very hard. Yesterday felt like I was further along the road of recovery. I actually got solid sleep and woke up after 6:00, something I have not done for many months. I felt energized and healthy when I woke up and that in turn made my mood good. I had no joint issues the entire day, but this morning I was back to poor, short, fragmented sleep and so was tired and drained all day. I have had joint issues all day and have been so discouraged and defeated today. I feel quite alone in a undesired wilderness.

"But there is a second lesson he teaches us: age is no barrier to making conqesls for the Lord. Here was a man eighty-five years old! And he is asking for a mountain! Not just any mountain, but a mountain controlled by a tribe of great and mighty warriors. Eighty-five is a good age to settle down in some comfortable valley, but Caleb asked for a mountain.
If the years are adding up and you think your work is done, dismiss that idea from your mind. These were not declining years for Caleb; they were years of going higher! He wanted to live in the mountain! How important it is to have an optimistic, enthusiastic attitude toward life. Caleb didn't say that his best years were over; he said that his best years were vet to come.
Granted, Caleb was still in good health; and this means a lot. But Caleb's power came from his faith in God. He knew that God was able to overcome the enemy and give him his inheritance. "And this is the victor?' that overcometh .... even our faith" (1 John 5:4). To complain is to sin; to worry is to sin; but to trust God for the future and claim His inheritance is to enter into a life of joy and satisfaction.
I don't know what mountains you may be facing just now. Perhaps there is a mountain of debt before you medical bills or some other obligation. Perhaps it is a mountain of suffering, or you may be facing surge). Don't look upon that mountain as an enemy to shun: look upon it as an inheritance to claim. Ask God to give you that mountain, and trust Him to see you through to victory." (p. 148).
This is perhaps one of the most powerful paragraphs of the book and I am almost to the last chapter. It is powerful because it asks for the impossible and has faith instead of the odds. My faith is so weak these days and my heart so heavy. I lose a little bit more faith each day as I feel God's forgotten me. Over and over again in mind the phrase "I feel done at 31" circles in my mind. 31 to many is a young age, but right now I feel super old and done with my life. I have no energy, no hope and I feel like I am slipping fast. I have a huge mountain I have been praying for but God hasn't given it to me yet. I don't want to be done at 31, I want to have better years and a better life.

Caleb didn't look back. He looked ahead and trusted God to give him a victorious future. Caleb's motto was, "The best is yet to come!" And isn't that the motto of every tree Christian? There are always new blessings to receive, new lessons to learn, new victories to win. Life would be terribly boring if God didn't bring new challenges to our lives from time to time.
The beautiful thing about Caleb's victoT is that he was able to leave that mountain inheritance to his family. His children and grandchildren enjoyed that mountain in the years that followed. The decisions we make in life affect other people. If we run from the challenges of life, then we lose that inheritance to leave to others. But if, like Caleb, we face the challenges honestly and claim them by faith, then we enrich our inheritance, and this means blessings to others.
Whenever I think of Caleb, I think of Jesus Christ. He faced a mountain one day called Calvary: It was on Calvarv that Jesus would die for the sins of the world and thereby claim the greatest inheritance in history. He would make it possible for sinners to become the children of God and enter into heaven. He would leave behind for us a magnificent inheritance. The apostle Peter tells us that this inheritance is "incorruptible, and undefiled, and.., fadeth not away" (1 Peter 1:4). Caleb had to fight many battles against the giants to claim his inheritance. Jesus fought one battle on CalvaW, and gave His life to secure the victory; and now He reigns as King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we reign with Him as we yield ourselves to Him.
If you want to claim your mountain, begin by surrendering to Christ. He alone can give you the faith and courage to face life and conquer the enemy." (pp. 149-150)
Prayer:
Lord Jesus, I need faith and courage to make it through this wilderness. You provided the victory so that we may have eternal life and salvation. Yet, in these times I feel dead and empty inside. My faith is dying and my mood is dropping. I ask for the mountain of restored health and wholeness. I ask for this mountain of life abundant. Lord Jesus I ask for total healing of my body and mind. You alone can bring hope and healing to the forgotten and weak. At times, I really don't have enough belief. I want to believe the best is yet to come but I feel done at 31. I feel borderline exhausted. I have dreamed so many times for a better life, but I have been oppressed by my condition and tempted to depression by the enemy. Lord Jesus, please give me victory over this oppression.

Wealth That Really Counts

There are things in this world that money cannot buy. My middle brother and his wife came to visit last night and will stay until Sunday. They visit about twice a year and so each visit is so precious. Time with my brother and sister-in-law cannot be priced. Friendships likewise cannot be given a price. SSo many immaterial things simply money cannot buy. Yet, this chapter address something else concerning wealth.
The late J. Paul Getty was reputed to be the richest man in the world, He once complained to a newspaper reporter that inflation was hurting him and that a million dollars was not what it used to be! You and I probably would not know what to do with a million dollars, and I doubt if that much money would make a Christian happier or holier. Because we know Jesus Christ as our Savior, we are *he wealthiest people in the world. Ephesians 1:3 informs us that we Christians have been "blessed... with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ." (p. 141).
I am not even sure what I would do with a million dollars and I certainly canot conceive of that amount of money. Yet, God has given us so much more. God has blessed us with every spiritual blessing. Initially it is not too clear what this means, but the author goes on to describe this.
"Our wealth is spiritual. We have the "blessings of the Spirit." These blessings mean much more than the material things of life. God has promised to meet all our needs, and He has given us all the spiritual blessings necessary, to live for Him and to glorify His name. Let's not measure life or spiritual stature by material things. Let's ask ourselves how many blessings of the Spirit we are reallv enjoying and investing in our lives. (p. 143)
The author does not specifically describe what these spiritual blessings are but he does say that these blessings enable us to live for God and glorify His name. The ability to worship and serve God are spiritual blessings. My big brother who is not a believer was at the dinner table when my middle brother and dad were talking about church matters. My big brother believed a certain church looked healthy because it has many people who attend. For a secular point of view, the number of people who attend an organization do seem to mark health. However, we know that a church can have a thousand people attend and not be healthy at all. It is the spiritual condition of those who attend that determine the church's health.

"But ejoymet of these blessings is conditional: we must yield to the Lord, trust Him, and by faith draw upon this vast spiritual weahh. A disobedient Christian is like the prodigal son: he has plenty of wealth and satisfaction with his father back home, but he can never enjoy it in the pigpen! God will never take awav our blcssings in Christ, but \re by our tmbelief or disobe
dience can rob ourselves of the enjoyment of these blessings. You were born rich when you were born again through faith in Christ. If you and I major on the spiritual blessings, you can be sure God will take care of the material blessings and mercies for us. Read your Bible and discover how" rich you are in Christ. Then kneel in prayer and ask God to help you appropriate these blessings by faith. There is no need to live like a pauper when you can live like a king!" (pp. 144-145).
Prayer:
Father, I really struggle with this chapter. I feel unmoved and not encouraged by it. For some reason it is not an encouraging chapter today. Maybe it is because I don't live like I am spiritually blessed and spiritually rich. Maybe it is because I am not living like a king. At the end of this day I feel drained and tired and that has an impact on how I feel spiritually. These days I do not live with a sense of joy and victory in Christ. Father, I pray that You enable me to feel and experience life as Your child, a child of the King, blessed with every spiritual blessing and rich in Christ.

Divine Resources for Life's Difficulties

In response to yesterday's comment, I think both getting older as well as spiritual maturity helps in being more easy going. There can certainly be old age without spiritual maturity. We were at a grand opening of a restaurant this week and the owner's face showed the disappointment in the turnout. He did not smile once. The thing is, the turnout was not bad, about 20-something tables, but the place was only half full and waiters out-numbered customers. I think part of spiritual maturity is being thankful for what we do have. I am learning right now to thank God for the seemingly small things like sleep because all this week I've gotten so little of it. And yes, Mike it'd be nice to go visit some of those Canto places. Food, accompanied with friends, at least for me brings much happiness.
As I write this, I realize I am almost to the end of this book. There are four more remaining chapters. This book has taken about two months to go through. Although the author sticks close to the Bible and points people to Jesus, it for some reason has not been as encouraging as I had hoped. I can remember maybe a hand full of chapters out of the twenty six previous ones that have really spoken to me. These chapters are relevant including this one.
"On October 31, 1517, Dr. Martin Luther nailed his ninetv-five theses on the door of the church at Wittenberg, Germany. The result was what historians call the Reformation, an attempt to bring the truth of salvation by faith back to the hearts of the people. Out of the Reformation came a return, not only to biblical doctrine, but also to the singing of hymns in the churches. Martin Luther was an accomplished musician himself, and he used music to express his faith and teach his people. "A Mighty Fortress Is Our God" is the one song more than any other that we associate with this great man and his work. Based on Psalm 46, this song has for centuries moved Christians to trust God no matter how difficult their circumstances might be." (p. 137)
I have only sung this maybe once or twice in the twenty something years I have been in church. I have not heard it in a Chinese church but have heard it in a white church. I am not sure the exact lyrics without looking it up but the title speaks of a sovereign and powerful God.
The author talks about three divine resources from Psalm 46. The first is that God is our refuge:

"In Psalm 46, we find three divine resources to sustain us in the difficulties of life. To begin with, we need not fear because we have a refuge. "God is our refuge and strength, are present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear...." No matter what may happen to us, we can find refuge in the Lord. The psalmist also wrote, "Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea." The psalmist is saying, "Even if an earthquake occurs, I don't have to be afraid because God is my refuge and my strength." You see, my friend, nothing moves or changes God. God is not affected by the convulsions of society or the confusion of government. He is the rock-- He stands secure--He will not be moved. When you and I run to Him for refuge, He is there to protect us.
But note that God is both our refuge and strength. We don't run to Him to hide; we run to Him for help. He hides us that He might help us, and then He thrusts us back into the battle that we might accomplish His will in this world. God does not hide us to pamper us, but to prepare us. He strengthens us that He might use uS." (p. 138)
It is one thing to be a refuge. A brick wall is a refuge. A house can be a refuge. But, when something is both refuge and strength it is able to offer so much more. It has both defensive and offensive power. The comment about how God does not pamper us is an interesting one. When we fail, God restores us and brings us back into the world. I think of Peter and his fishing attempts that caught nothing and his feelings of failure. At the end of the Gospel of John, Jesus restores him.
The second is a river.

"Psalm 46 is not talking about a literal river, rather about the supply of spiritual power available from the Lord for His people. In the Bible, water for drinking is a picture of the Holy Spirit. In John 7:37-39, Jesus compares the Spirit of God to a river of living water. "If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink .... Out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit .... )"
No matter how difficult the problems of life may be, we need not fear because we have a refuge, and we need not faint because we have a river. God supplies us with the spiritual power we need to keep going in spite of the difficulties. "Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the Lord of hosts." "But ye shall receive power when the Holy Spirit is come upon you .... " Of ourselves, we do not have the strength we need to keep going; but through the Holy Spirit, we can overcome. "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Have you trusted Christ as your Savior? If you have, are you trusting Him for the power you need moment by moment and day by day? "As thv days, so shall thy strength be." (p. 139)
Strength, these days is something I have very little of, physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Some days I am not even sure how I am going to make it. There were days like that this week. In particular Tuesday and Thursday, I went to bed feeling completely drained. Yet, somehow in the midst of all that, God sustained me. When we are weak, God gives us enough strength to make it through.

"There is a third divine resource given to us in Psalm 46. We need not fret, for we have a revelation: "Be still, and know that I am God .... The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is out" refuge." What a wonderful revelation--"Be still, and know that I am God."
The trouble with many of us is that we think we are God. We make our plans and pull strings and try to manipulate people and situations, only to discover that evewthing falls apart. "Be still, and know..." Know what? "That I am God." I Am is one of the great names of God. When Moses told God that it was impossible for him to obey God and lead Israel out of Egypt, God said to Moses, "Remember my name--I Am." Not "I would like to be" or "I hope to be," but I Am! I am God! And Moses went out in the power of God's name and defeated the enemy and set his people free.
Jesus picked up that same divine name when He was here on earth. "I am the bread of life .... I at the good shepherd .... 1 atn the light of the world." Whatever you need, says Jesus, I Am. Man's name is I Am Not; we just don't have what it takes to make it alone. But God's name is I Am, and His mighty resources are available to us.
When I was in seminary, my Hebrew professor told us that the words "Be still" literally mean "Take your hands off! .... Take your hands off and know that I am God." You could even translate it "Relax and know that I am God." In other words, "Get your hands off the situation--stop playing God--and permit me to take over." Sometimes God has to wait for us to make a real mess of things before we give up and let Him take over. Don't wait that long; take your hands off now and let God have His way.
Here, then, are three wonderful divine resources for you to draw upon in the difficult times of life. We need not fear; we have a rege. We need not faint; we have a river. And we need not fret; we have a revelation: "Be still, and know that I am God." A mighty fortress is our God--a bulwark never failing!" (pp. 139-140).
Prayer:
Father, I begin with the confession, I am not. I am not God. I am not strong. I confess that you are God and that You are the great I am. Sorry for my periods of unbelief. This revelation is powerful and this chapter is very encouraging. I like the author's comment on the words "be still". Take our hands off! I wish that I can believe this promise. I want to let go and let God, but right now, my faith is so weak. You've sustained me so far, but I just don't think You can bring real hope and real healing into my situation. Father, please help my unbelief. Please let me see that You are God, my refuge, and my strength.

Put Joy into Your Life

Thanks Mike for your comment. I also was wondering about the difference between joy and happiness. We find ourselves returning to this very subject. 
It is interesting that this chapter follows a chapter on joy. The last chapter was not exclusively on joy, but joy was one of the three mentioned treasures. There has been a phrase some Christian friends have used and it is the "fight for joy". Indeed, for some of us, including myself, it is a fight for joy. My mood has been rather neutral today. It hasn't been all good and not all bad but somewhere in between. Joy however is something I really need to fight for.
Evangelist D. L. Moody encouraged Christian joy. He once said in a meeting, "There are too many religious meetings which are sadder than a funeral. They are a hindrance to the cause. They breed people with faces bearing an expression as chilling as an east wind from off the lake." (Anyone who lives in Chicago, as Mr. Moody did, knows what he means by a cold east wind from off the lake!) What Mr. Moody says is true--the greatest obstacle to sinners coming to Christ is the joyless attitude of many professed Christians.
There is a difference between being serious and being solemn. God wants us to be serious, but I don't know of any place in the Bible where He commands us to be solemn, to have a long face and a miserable look that means death to all who are happy and joyful around us. A missionary executive once told me that he would never send a missionary to the field if the man or woman didn't have a sense of humor. To be able to laugh at yourself and at the world around you, and to be able to laugh with others, is a mark of maturity. A famous Shakespearean actress once said, "You grow up when you get your first laugh at yourself." (pp. 132-133).
That is one very interesting requirement for the mission's organization, but one I agree with. A sense of humor is so key to mission's. People with a sense of humor have an attractive quality about them. It is sad that some Christian gatherings appear to be like a funeral service. I've been to many churches where people had no joy at all, and churches where worship is a celebration of God. The author says people who don't know how to laugh are bitter and critical. We need to be able to laugh at our own mistakes. Someone who gets frustrated at herself will likely get frustrated at others.
The author mentions three keys to joy:
"Don't let sin, neglect of the Bible, and prayerlessness rob you of your joy. God wants you to have joy. "The joy of the Lord is our strength." Joy lubricates the machinery of life and makes everything run much smoother. A joyful Christian is a strong Christian: Satan has a harder time tempting the man who has joy in his heart. A joyful Christian is a witnessing Christian because he has something exciting to share with others, and they can see the difference." (p. 135).
Sin, prayerlessness, and Bible neglect the author says are the keys to joylessness. I think this is an oversimplification. In these past two months, I have prayed more and read more Bible than the first few months of the year. Yet, my joy has been incredibly lacking. I have had so much unrest and worry and discouragement that joy has been mostly absent. With joy absent, the enemy has been oppressing me more than ever. For me, I think joy relates to confidence in God or Biblical hope. I don't have much confidence in God right now and so my joy is lacking.
"Now let's talk about how to share your joy. If there are two commodities that are in short supply in our world today, they are love and joy. Most of the people you and I meet during the day are hungw for love and joy. If you and I are filled with God's
Spirit and walking in His power, then others will see love and joy in our lives. We won't have to manufacture them for the occasion; they will be fruit that are constantly growing and reproducing in our lives.
How do we share our joy? By our attitudes. We can't hide joy once it is in our hearts and running over! We don't have to wear signs telling people we are joyful! They will see it in our attitudes and actions. People watch us because we are Christians; and this gives us a wonderful opportunity to show them what a difference Christ has made in our lives. In fact, unsaved people might even create some problems for us .just to see what we will do. The joyful Christian also shares his joy by doing his job gladly and not complaining about it. He tries his best not to add to anybody's problems. He is a part of the answer, not a part of the problem. He avoids criticizing others. He speaks the truth in love. The joyful Christian shares his joy by accepting the burdens of life without complaining. He is willing to do the small tasks that others ignore; and when he does the big jobs, he is willing for others to share the credit.
All around us are people who are lonely and bitter, and they need a good dose of Christian love and joy. They may not be the easiest people in the world to work with, eat with, or talk to; but they need what we have to offer. Let God lead you to them; ask God to help you understand their needs. Listen to what they say even though you may disagree with some of it. Remember; you are not out to win an argument; you are out to win a soul to Christ. Your attitude of love and joy will soon take hold of his heart and this will give you an opportunity to share Christ with your friend.
Every hour of every day there is something to rejoice about, so start cultivating an attitude of joy. Keep your heart clean; spend time in the Word and prayer; look for ways to make life happier and easier for others. And when you do, a wonderful thing will happen to you: God's love and joy will fill your heart." (p. 135-136).
Prayer:
Father, we long to become people of joy and people of influence. Someone shared this morning about a prayer request that their entire family would come to Christ. Now, we find in this chapter the attributes of an effective witness, and it is the attitude of joy and love. It is a missing attitude. I complain and become discourage about my situation. Yet, joy is what makes us go through these moments not only for ourselves but as a witness to our family members. Father, I pray that You enable me to find victory in this difficult fight for joy.

Three Treasures

A friend today asked me when was the last time I felt real happiness. I did not take long to answer because I had thought about this one for the past couple of days because I was really down the past couple of days. My last moment of happiness was when I had lunch with a friend before he left to go teaching at an international school. We hung out for three hours and this brother is a true encouragement. There are some in the church who just have this positive effect of rubbing off positivity. There are key essentials in the Christian life we cannot life without. Joy is one of them. God, certainly is the true source of joy. The author here mentions the three key treasures of the Christian.

"Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost." Paul wrote those words in Romans 15:13; it was his prayer for his friends in Rome. Three words stand out in this statement--hope, joy, and peace.
Paul tells us that our God is the God of hope. God wants us to look ahead with hope and not with despair. Whenever the Old Testament prophets thundered out their predictions of judgment, they always wove into the dark cloud of judgment the silver lining of hope. In fact, some of the greatest promises of hope in the Bible are found in the midst of dark messages of judgment.
You and I need never fear the future. God knows and controls the future. He knows the end from the beginning; He is the Alpha and Omega, the first and the last. God is never surprised or caught off guard." (p. 128)
We need never fear the future, and yet fear keeps on burdening me right now because of my health situation, joblessness situation, singleness situation, and different issues with family members. I feel in a sense taking on the burdens of the world and feel increasingly spent. God knows my future and according to Jeremiah 29:11, His future for me is not harm but hope. I've recently been going through Isaiah. There is much judgement, doom, and gloom in most of Isaiah. However, interwoven in the final few chapters is the message of hope and salvation. Better days are ahead, according to Scripture. Like yesterday's text, we cannot predict the future based on the past. God can heal us tomorrow. God can provide a job after many years of joblessness. This is the power of the God of hope. God want us to look to Him with hope.
"Christian joy is not the same as happiness, although it can include happiness. Happiness so often depends on happenings. If things are going right with us, we are happy; if the situation changes, we become unhappy: Joy is much deeper than that. It is inward confidence and well-being that only the Holy Spirit can give. I have experienced the deepest joy while suffering the greatest pain. Joy is not created by circumstances on the outside; it is the resuh of conditions on the inside. The joyful Christian faces life without fear or complaint. Each new day is a new challenge. Each problem is an opportunity to grow and see God work. Joy is really a by-product of a life of service to God and others. If you start searching for joy, you will never find it. But if you surrender to God and do His will, joy will come to your heart. Joy adds a special quality to life that nothing else can add. Our friends can tell when this joy is overflowing in our hearts, and it is this kind of joy that attracts people to our Savior. Billy Sunday used to say, "If you have no joy in your religion, there's a leak in your Christianity somewhere." (p. 129-130)
Inner-confidence and well-being is joy. Joy does not depend on circumstance. Joy is one of the key markers of the Christian. I have known many Christians who exhibit joy even through tough situations. For those of us lacking joy, it is true, there is a leak in our Christianity somewhere. Joy has been really hard for me especially this week. I was really discouraged yesterday almost all day. I felt like this also on Monday and Sunday but not as bad as yesterday. Somewhere there is a leak in my Christianity. I can't see God in my situation. Like yesterday, like the man who wanted healing, he was focused on the problem and I have been so burdened by my problems that I can't see the God who can solve my problems.  
"Along with joy is the gift of peace. "Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing .... " This is the peace that Jesus meant when He said to His followers, "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you .... Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27). Here was Jesus, facing the terrors of the cross, yet He was giving peace to His followers!
What a thrilling experience it is when you yield to the Spirit of God and let Him fill your heart with these gifts! With hope and joy and peace filling your heart, you can face life with a new power and courage, knowing that Christ will see you through.
The future is always bright because God has the future in His hands. For the Christian, the best is yet to come. Christ always saves the best wine for the last. For the unsaved person, the worst is yet to come. The unsaved man is having his heaven right now, because death is coming and after that the judgment. But the Christian never has to fear the future; his heart is filled with hope from the God of hope. And the Christian never has to fret about the present, because his heart is filled with joy. No matter how difficult or uncomfortable the present circumstances might be, there is joy in our hearts from Jesus Christ." (p. 130).
Prayer:
Father, I am just so burdened with worry about the future, discouraged about the present, and having no peace about the past - wondering what did I do to be in this situation. I have very little peace, joy, or hope in my life right now and surely there is a leak in my Christianity. Father, please help me to fix the leak. I can't see You in my situation, Your hand of healing and protection, and Your presence to comfort and guide. I feel alone, tired, and hungry. I need hope, joy, and peace that can come only from Your Holy Spirit. I want to believe that tomorrow will be better than today. I want to believe that You are the God of the impossible and that You are mighty to save.

Look at the Possibilities

The title of this chapter is a little misleading. It does not actually tell you what this chapter is about. The chapter is actually about healing. This chapter has profound relevance to me and my current condition. Yet, I struggle with this one very much because of the time that has passed and nothing has happened. The author opens with the text from John 5.
"One day Jesus visited a place in Jerusalem called "Bethesda," which means "house of grace." There were many sick people at that place because at certain times the water would be stirred, and whoever got into the water was healed. Jesus found a man there who had been crippled for thirty-eight years, and He asked the man, "Do you want to be healed?" Instead of saying, "Yes, I do!" the man replied, "Sir, I have no man to put me in the water, and everybody else gets in before I do "Before you criticize that man, you had better ask yourself whether you have made the same mistake he made.
When Jesus showed up at the pool of Bethesda and walked among those handicapped people waiting to be healed, He was bringing them the greatest opportunity they ever had. He was God--He was the Healer--and nobody had to struggle to the water to be healed. Faith in Christ would have healed them instantly." (p. 123).
I can identify with the man. First off, I can't walk. Instant connection there. Second, he is all alone. In this particular season I feel very alone and isolated. Third, he is helpless. No one helps him into the pool where he can find healing. No one can help me to heal. Fourth, he is very focused on himself, that is in a state of self-pity. Me too. I have had a lot of self-defeating negative thoughts recently. I feel very helpless and hopeless. The author's statement of faith in Christ would have healed him instantly seems lacking in compassion. I often wonder about healing. I have prayed many times a day for over ten weeks now for healing and I am not any better. It is not a matter of faith. I wrestle over and over again with the question of whether or not God can heal or God cares. So what mistakes did the cripple man make?
"That's the first mistake the crippled man made: he judged the present by the past. His argument was logical except for one thing: he left God out of the picture. God is not limited by the past. No matter how many disappointments and failures we may have had in the past, when Jesus Christ comes on the scene, everything has to change.
I can well understand the attitude of this man. When you have been shoved aside year after year and neglected by those who could help you, you get discouraged; and you come to the conclusion that you will never get any better. But this attitude was a mistake. Jesus Christ the Son of God was right by this man's side. He said to the man, "Rise--take up your bed and walk!" And the man obeyed by faith and was made whole!
Nothing paralyzes our lives like the attitude that things can never change. We need to remind ourselves that God can change things! God can forgive sin and put new power into lives that seem to be utter failures. God can send revival to a church that everybody thinks is dead. God can move into a difficult situation and turn seeming failure into victory. God makes the difference! And for us to judge the present by the past is to limit God." (p. 124).
Looking at the past and seeing things through rational eyes is a major problem. It is a major roadblock. I read in another book that one reason why to not give up praying even after praying for seventy five days is who knows, maybe God will answer on day seventy six. My situation seems so bleak. So many days have passed, and nothing happens. I sleep on the couch now because I cannot walk up the stairs. I see my problems bigger than my God. I keep God in the picture, but God seems so distant.

"The crippled man's second mistake seeing The problems and not the possibilities. "Whenever the water is stirred and I can't get down, nobodv will help me, and somebody else always gets there first." But Jesus didn't ask the man what his problems were; he asked him what his desires were. "Do you want to be made whole?"
perhaps this is what separates the optimist from the pessimist. The optimist sees possibilities in the problems, and the pessimist sees problems in the possibilities. One sees the opportunities and the other sees the obstacles. But the real basis for optimism is faith. When you bring God into the picture, even the greatest problems can become great potentials for blessing. The aposfie Paul was a spiritual optimist. He wrote to his friends at Corinth from the city of Ephesus, "But I will tarry at Ephesus until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries" (1 Cor. 16:8-9). You and I may have written, "In spite of the fact that there is a great opportunity here, I am leaving town because there are too many problems!" (p. 125).
I like how the authors puts it. I do not see possibilities in the problems. The cripple man saw the problems in the possibilities. This happens when we think of all the excuses and forget that there is hope. I am a lot like that right now. I have tried so many things and prayed so many weeks that I am almost hopeless.

"Faith is the one thing God requires if He is going to work miracles in our lives. The great heroes of the Bible were heroes, not because of their talents or personalities but because of their faith. If you have trusted Christ as your Savior, then you already have faith; and this faith has brought to you the greatest miracle of all--salvation. No; instead of complaining about what you don't have, why not start with what you do have--your faith in Christ--and let that faith lay hold of the promises of God.
So often we overlook this tremendous thing called faith. We try to change situations in our own strength and wisdom, only to have the situations grow worse. If only we would turn ourselves and our problems over to the Lord and trust Him to work, we would then discover what wonderful changes He can make. He said to some blind men one day, "According to your faith be it unto you," and He healed them. He says the same thing to you and me.
The man at the pool of Bethesda obeyed the command to stand up and walk. He had not stood and walked for thirty-eight years, but when the command of the Lord was given, he acted upon it by faith, and when he obeyed by faith, God's power went to work in his body and restored him. He could have argued, "But I can't stand up! I can't walk!" But faith never says, "I can't"; faith says, "God can! .... With God nothing is impossible!"
I'm sure that many people have situations that they would like to see changed. Perhaps you have been so wrapped up in the problems that you haven't been able to see the possibilities. You have gotten locked into the past and you can't realize that God is able to change the past. Jesus Christ comes to you now and asks whether or not you want to be made whole. You can respond with a complaint or an excuse and miss the miracle. Or you can respond with faith and experience the power of God. God may not give you an instant solution as he did the man at Bethesda, but He will begin to work in your life and lead you to the place of liberty and victory." (p. 126-127).
Prayer,
Father, I am so depressed today. I see the problem and not the possibilities. You are on my mind and thoughts, but I cannot find hope. I feel down and discouraged. I want healing but for over ten weeks, nothing has gotten better. Father, I want healing and victory, but feel so defeated. My knee has been really stiff all day and movement is so hard. I cry out to You for help, hope, and healing in Jesus name. Help me to believe that with You all things are possible.

Try Forgiveness

It is interesting as we approach these final chapters of this text that the author discusses forgiveness in a book about hardship. Sometimes in these past weeks, the chapter content seem not to speak to me as some of the others. Forgiveness is not something that comes easy to me but at the same time I do not grow bitter towards people for wrongs done.
"Recently I chatted with a man who was nervous, physically ill, and disturbed emotionally. I felt he should visit a specialist, but he wanted to talk with me, so I patiently listened. As his stow came out, I began to understand why he was so miserable: he was long on memory and short on forgiveness. He remembered every unkind thing anybody had ever said or done to him. At times his eyes blazed with murderous anger. Once more I was reminded of the importance of forgiveness as one of the greatest spiritual medicines in all the world.
Mark Twain is best known for his humorous stories, but he could be a philosopher when he wanted to be. One of the most beautiful things he ever said was, "Forgiveness is the fragrance the violet sheds on the heel that crushed it." Forgiveness is not easy, but it is necessary. An unforgiving spirit doesn't hurt the other person; it hurts us." (p. 118).
A while ago, I carried around a braille note taking device. It was for school, but I carried it everywhere. It has been over two years since I carried it and friends asked where my computer was when they saw me because I do not carry it with me anymore. Well, I typed everything on there. How I felt, what others said, wrongs done against me, I recorded it all. I am not even sure why I did that then. I was surely quite miserable during that time. There are certain things we just need to forget. There are things we need to let go. Unforgiveness is like a bitter poison that digs deep. So what does an unforgiving spirit look like?
"When you have an unforgiving spirit, you think you are better than other people. They make mistakes, but you never make mistakes. When you have an unforgiving spirit, you are supersensitive; you take veW personally what other people say and do. You become suspicious of their motives and you feel that somebody is going to hurt you. An unforgiving spirit causes a person to withdraw into himself and become a spectator in life, not a participant. After all, when you are better than other people and they are out to get you, why get friendly? This explains why unforgiving people are usually lonely, critical, newous people.
But one of the saddest results of an unforgiving spirit is the buildup of aggression on the inside. Many people who carry grudges and harbor malice are filled with hostility. They are unable to laugh off the little problems that people sometimes cause; they take these matters seriously and build them into big issues. If somebody pushes ahead of them on the bus, they take it personally and declare war. If nobody really causes any trouble, the unforgiving people can usually imagine something and invent a problem to fight about. (p. 118).
Aggression, bitterness, pride, critical, lonely, these are some of the symptoms. I can remember a friend in college. She was very argumentative. We had on a few times discussed some Bible passage and she would begin by asking me a question and five minutes into the discussion she would begin aggressively disagreeing and increasingly getting angry until it became a one-sided conversation because whatever I said she would not accept. I often grew uncomfortably silent around here and feared having anykind of conversation with her. Angry people are some of the most difficult to be around. The other big characteristic is the critical spirit. The suspicion, negativity, judgmental pride in relating to others. Unforgiving people are paranoid and have nothing positive to say about anyone or anything. The glass is half full and the world is unkind. Certainly personal experience plays a role in this, but I think forgiveness is so key to spiritual health.
"I recall counseling with a lady who was gifted at finding fault with others. But she was unable to see any needs in her own life. Patiently I talked with her, and the longer we talked, the clearer it became to me that her judging of others was really a mask to hide herself. Finally I asked her if there was not some great disappointment in her life that pained her; and then she broke down and cried, admitting that there was. There was an old wound that she had never permitted God to heal. It had festered all those years and poisoned her system. Once she admitted it to herself, and then confessed it to God, it was healed. And once she was forgiven, she was able to forgive others.
This is what Paul meant when he wrote, "And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you" (Eph. 4:32). On the cross Jesus prayed, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do." Because He shed His blood, you and I can experience God's gracious forgiveness. There is no way we can earn His forgiveness; it is a gift. When you turn to Christ in faith, confess your need, and ask for His forgiveness, He grants it to you unconditionally If He does all this for us, should we not be able to forgive others?" (p. 120).
This is the key to forgiveness. It is found at the cross. Forgive as God has forgiven us. It is simple. The doctrine of salvation is easy enough for a child to understand, yet the author points out we can know it but not let our hearts accept it. Some of the most loving and forgiving people I know are ones who deeply understand what it means to be forgiven by God. He forgave us of a debt we could never pay off. The author offers some ideas on how to cultivate a forgiving spirit.

"By realizing what a great sinner he really is! Perhaps we aren't guilty of some of the gross sins that we see in other people, but we may have committed them in our hearts. At the end of his life, Paul called himself the "chief of sinners." The closer we get to the light, the dirtier our hearts and hands become. So the first suggestion I have for cultivating a forgiving spirit is to spend time daily with the Lord in His Word and in prayer. Get to know Him better. As you do, you will realize what sin really is, and you will discover that there are areas that still need help.
And as you fellowship daily with the Lord, you will discover how loving and gracious He is, and what it cost Him to forgive you. One reason why Jesus instituted the Lord's Supper was to remind us that He died for us. I cannot conceive of a person coming to the Lord's Table and going away with an unforgiving spirit. When we realize the meaning of the cross, we have to forgive others.
Here is a third suggestion: let the Holy Spirit within you generate the kind of love that it takes to forgive others. The fruit of the Spirit is love. You and I cannot manufacture forgiveness; it is something God does within us as we vield to Him. Confess your unforgiving spirit to God; ask Him to forgive you and fill your heart with His love. (p. 121).
Fellowship with the Lord, get to know Him, realize what a great sinner we are and how holy God is. Like Isaiah who saw the Lord recorded in Isaiah 6, he saw how unclean he is before a holy God. These are things we can do. What does Jesus do?
Three days from the Colorado incident, many are still touched by this tragedy. It just does not make sense. Some have grown bitter, some fearful about what is going on in the world now. It is easy to become closed, untrusting, and afraid. Yet, this morning's ODB really encouraged me about the words of Jesus concerning troubled times and how we can approach these moments.
Troubled Times July 23, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: John 16:25-33

In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. —John 16:33
If you’ve never heard of Murphy’s Law, you’ve probably experienced it: “If anything can go wrong, it will.”
Murphy’s maxim reminds me of the principle Jesus shared with His disciples when He told them, “In this world you will have trouble” (John 16:33 NIV). In other words, we can count on it—sooner or later we will hit troubled times. It’s not the way God originally intended life to be, but when the human race first succumbed to Satan’s seduction in the garden, everything on this planet fell into the grip of sin. And the result has been disorder and dysfunction ever since.
The reality of trouble in life is obvious. It’s the reality of peace that often eludes us. Interestingly, when Jesus warned His followers about trouble, in the same breath He also promised peace. He even told them to “be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (v.33). The word overcome indicates a past event that has a continuing effect. Not only did Jesus conquer the fallen world through His death and resurrection, but He continues to provide victory, no matter how much trouble we may face.
So, although we can expect some trouble in this fallen world, the good news is that we can count on Jesus for peace in troubled times. —Joe Stowell
Dear Lord, thank You for always being with us.
We ask that when troubles invariably come,
You would renew in us once again the blessed
peace of Your presence. Amen.
In the midst of troubles, peace can be found in Jesus.

Big Lessons from Little Things

I've never been to Texas, but I hear everything there is big. A group of us once went to a Christian concert at one of the largest churches in the city. One of the sisters said that the churches back in Texas were even larger than this particular church, which by our understanding was one of the bigger ones in our city. We as a culture have a fascination in size, that is the size of our houses, our stadiums, our bank accounts. Small things just are not impressive. In fact, they seem insignificant. 
"You and I are too impressed with size. If something is small and quiet, we have the idea that it is unimportant; but if it is big and noisy, then it must be important. But God doesn't measure life the way we do. The big things don't always impress Him. In fact, some of the little things in the Bible teach big lessons.
The prophet Zechariah asked an interesting question one day: "For who hath despised the day of small things?" (Zech. 4:10). He was trying to encourage the nation as they were rebuilding their temple and having a difficult time. The budget was low, the morale even lowe; and it looked like the job would never be finished. The people were discouraged because the whole project seemed so small--it just wasn't the temple it used to be." (p. 113)
This rebuilding of the temple in comparson to the one Solomon built must have been difficult both from a financial standpoint as well as a motivational standpoint. Solomon's temple was huge and the budget was limitless. Imagine trying to rebuild something that was a wonder back in its day or trying to step into the shoes of a great leader to continue their ministry. It's hard.
"We had better be careful not to despise small things! After all, we got our start in this world as babies, totally dependent on others. When God wanted to deliver His people from Egypt, He didn't send an army--He sent a baby to a Jewish family, and years later, Moses led his people out of bondage. When the nation had sunk into spiritual and political defeat, God sent a boy named Samuel who one day led the nation back into greatness. And when God wanted to deliver mankind from sin, He sent another baby: Jesus Christ came as a baby that He might one day die for us on the cross.
God uses small things to accomplish great purposes. He used Moses' rod to defeat the armies of Egypt. He used David's sling to overcome the giant Goliath. Gideon and his three hundred soldiers used pitchers and torches to slaughter the huge army of the Midianites. Rahab tied a piece of red rope out of her window, and it saved her family. A lad brought a few loaves and fishes to Jesus, and He used them to feed thousands. Never despise the small things, because God can use them to accomplish great things." (p. 114)
We find here many instances when God uses seemingly insignificant people and things to accomplish His purposes. Moses, David, and Jesus, at their start did not appear impressive. After all, Moses was nearly murdered upon his birth, David was the youngest of eight children and practically ignored, and Jesus, born in a barn to poor parents. We would never be impressed by modern-day Davids. What strikes me the most from this list is the lad who gave up his lunch so that thousands had food. His name is not even mentioned. I am not even sure if he agreed to give up his lunch.
"I think, for example, of what Mary of Bethany did for Jesus. Shortly before His death on the cross, Jesus and His disciples were having supper at the home of Mary and Martha and Lazarus. Mary came into the room with a jar of expensive perfume, and she poured it out on Jesus' feet as a loving act of worship. Nobody outside that house knew what she did. In fact, some inside the house criticized her for doing it. But Jesus defended her and made an amazing statement: "Wherever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world, this also that she has done shall be spoken of for a memorial to her" (Mark 14:9). This one act of worship had worldwide effects!
Whatever is done in love for Christ will have power and influence for all eternity. The widow" brought to the temple just two mites, worth less than an American penny; yet Jesus said she gave more than all the rich people put together, and her act of worship has been a blessing to people around the world for many centuries. No sincere act of worship or service is overlooked by God. Men may despise small things, but God encourages them; it is in the small things that a person's faithfulness is really seen. Many people would have no problem participating in a big event in public; but how many are willing to serve God and worship Him in the little place where nobody is watching?
The Christian who can't be trusted with the small things can never be trusted with the big things! Jesus tells us that if we are faithful in that which is least, we will also be faithful in that which is greatest. To Him, the least is the greatest because it leads to the greatest. All of which means that you and I had better examine our values and our priorities lest we be found despising the day of small things." (p. 115).
I think often about the widow who gave out of her poverty. The text records who the rich put in a lot and when they did so tradition says the container and the money would make a particular loud noise which would highlight who gave how much. Yet, here is the poor widow who seems insignificant to anyone at the time and yet noticed and praised by Jesus. This illustration and the example of Mary are recorded for generations to hear about. While the widow was unnoticed, Mary was criticized for what she did since the perfume was costly. Acts of worship and service can even sometimes be criticized by others, and so when we serve, whether large or small, our focus and master must be Jesus.
"When D. L. Moody started his little meetings in England, nobody dreamed they would turn into a tremendous force for God that moved two continents, and eventually touched the whole world. Men have a way of despising what is small, so be careful not to follow the ideas of men. Get your values from God.
Not all works are going to be big in the eyes of men and be known around the world. But that's not the important thing. The important thing is that we do our work well so that it will be big in the eyes of God. As those feeble Jews tried to rebuild their temple, their work looked pitifully small; but it was God's work just the same. And that temple would one day see the Son of God standing in its courts, healing the sick, forgiving sinners, and teaching the multitudes. Never despise the day of small things. It is in the small things that God can work and bless; and the small things prepare for the bigger things.
No work is small if it is God's work. No gift is small if it is given in faith and love. No act of sedce is small if it is done to the glory of Christ. Don't go around comparing yourself with others. Let God do the measuring and the weighing. He measures for eternity--and that is what really counts.
Prayer:
Fahter, thank You for the examples of Godly men and women who never gave up even when their task seemed impossible or when the task seem so small. My dad and I attend a rather small church, less than 30 people. We wonder sometimes if You can use such a church to accomplish Your purposes. Our Sunday school class today had five people including myself and my dad. When I was in Davis, our Sunday school ranged from 40-60. We are so preoccupied with size and worldly success sometimes that we lose Your perspective. I think for me, I get discouraged when I don't see results right away. Father, teach me to see success through Your eyes and to remain faithful to You and trust You with the results.

The Eternal Encourager

Comfort and encouragement are key for those going through difficulties. As wonderful as friends and family are in these times, the level of encouragement they offer are limited. They might understand what we are going through and they might feel compassion, but in terms of offering real and sustaining help, they fall short. The author opens this chapter with the scene of when Jesus gave His final words to His disciples. They were a discouraged group.
"If ever a group of people felt as though their world had collapsed, it was the disciples in the upper room. Jesus told them that one of them would betray Him to the enemy and that Peter would deny Him. Then He told them that He was leaving them to return to His Father in heaven. Was there any encouragement or hope for these men? Yes, there was; for Jesus promised them, "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter; that he may abide with you for ever" (John 14:16). He was speaking, of course, of the Holy Spirit of God who lives within the heart of each believer." (p. 108).
One disciple was predicted to betray Jesus, another to deny Him and then on top of that Jesus said that He would be leaving. Tough words to hear. Yet, Jesus offers us real hope and real encouragement through the Holy Spirit. Comforter does not have the same meaning as we think. It is not mere words of encouragement in tough times. What the Holy Spirit brings is much more.
"Jesus told His disciples that the Father would send them "another Comforter and that word another means "another of the same kind." The Spirit of God takes the place of the Son of God. He is equal to the Son and able to encourage us just as Jesus encouraged His disciples. I have heard Christians say "If Jesus Christ were right here with me as He was with His disciples, then I would be a better Christian!" That is a poor excuse. To begin with, even though Jesus was with His disciples, they often failed Him. And Jesus Christ is with us by His Spirit in a far deeper way than He ever was with His disciples when He was here on earth. The Holy Spirit dwells in us, and He is to us what Jesus was to His disciples.
What did Jesus do for His disciples? He taught them His Word, and the Holy Spirit is our teacher to show us the truths of the Bible. Jesus gave His disciples directions concerning God's will, and the Holy Spirit leads us in the will of God. Our Lord occasionally had to convict His disciples and deal with their sin, and the indwelling Holy Spirit has to convict us when we have disobeyed. The Savior gave His disciples the power they needed for service, and the Holy Spirit gives us the power we need to be workers and witnesses for the Lord. It is impossible to live a joyful, successful Christian life without the Holy Spirit of God." (p. 109).
I agree that both Jesus and the Holy Spirit teach, guide, and convict us of sin. I believe also that the Holy Spirit helps us in ministry. I also think this is where this particular falls short in his explanation and the limits of conservative Christianity are shown. The author does not appear to fully engage an integrity of faith. That is, to explore and apply faith into what we have traditionally called secular spheres. This traditional view proposes that God is only interested in the "spiritual" dimension of our lives. I believe that God is interested in all areas of our lives. God ministers to us and encourages us in every situation. I have found this to be true this week as I have struggled with seeing God in my present situation. I have often asked God for guidance. I had some doubts about a particular product I was taking. The Holy Spirit used this uneasiness to create suspicion. When I went ahead and still took the product, I began to have chess pains. I knew right then and there that I was not going to take the product again and through physical reactions, the Holy Spirit showed me not to continue this medication. This all happened three days ago on Wednesday. What happened yesterday was also amazing. I have been taking vegetable juice for four weeks now. In the beginning, first week in, I showed improvements in health. For a little over two weeks, the improvements stopped and for the past couple of days symptoms got worse. When I took the vegetable juice, I felt like throwing up and had stomach problems. No changes in the juice were made. The same thing happened today and I knew something was wrong. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit reminded me that my mom has been preparing these juices and storing them in the fridge sometimes for two days. I went online to find out more about juicing and discovered that juices need to be consumed immediately and if not it collects harmful bacteria. This helped to understand why I had bad reactions. It also states that the nutrient content greatly diminishes when the juice is not taken right away. Now, this help to understand why there were health improvements during the first week when the juice was taken fresh and why those improvements were gone during these past two plus weeks. Now, information is just information. When we have done something wrong and the Holy Spirit teaches us and speaks to us we have a choice to make the correction. I was so excited to hear God minister to me in this situation when the past few days I have thought that God was absent and God does not care. From the text from yesterday, I have happiness and hope because God has been my help! I've actually been quite happy throughout this day even though it is over a hundred degrees outside. God's help provides us hope which makes us very happy. When God speaks, and enters into our bleak situation, we have a joy that is unspeakable. Yes, God is not merely interested in our spiritual lives, but in every part of our lives and our concern is His concern. His love is amazing!
The author mentions a couple of ways in which the Holy Spirit ministers to us:
"How does the Holy Spirit encourage us as Christians? For one thing, He teaches us the truths of the Bible. Whenever I find myself getting tired and discouraged, I turn to the Bible and ask the Spirit to enlighten me, and He always does. He shows me the promises of the Word. He reveals God to me, and when I see how great God is, my own problems and burdens become very small. One of the great joys of the Christian life is to study God's Word and let the Holy Spirit reveal Christ to us. If you read your Bible without the aid of the Spirit, you will never receive any encouragement. But if you ask the Spirit of God to open your eyes to God's truth, the Comforter will teach you and encourage you.
The Holy Spirit encourages us in another way. He prays for us and helps us to pray in God's will. Romans 8:26 tells us that the Spirit of God intercedes for us, and that He prays in the will of God. We don't hear Him praying, but He prays for us, says Paul, "with groanings which cannot be uttered." I have friends who pray for me, but they cannot pray for me constantly. Yet the Holy Spirit, who lives in me, prays for me constantly. and this is an encouragement to me. (p. 110).
I agree with these two ways that are from Scripture. Yes, the Holy Spirit is always praying for us and this is an encouragement. Yes, also, the Holy Spirit encourages me when I am reading the Word or praying and am reminded of God's Word. Just this week I started meditating on the Psalms and memorizing some parts of the Psalms that have been encouraging me. I find how God is our help and how God is in control in the words of the Psalmist. It helps me to get my eyes off of myself and on to God when I am meditating on Scripture.

"Finally; the Spirit of God takes away fear. "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, arid of a sound mind" (2 Tim. 1:7). The early church faced, ir the power of the Spirit, a wicked and hostile world, arid they had no fear. When the Spirit of God fills you and controls you, there is an inner peace and conidence that drives away fear. Fear always destroys faith; fear alwaYs takes away strength. But when you have the Spirit of God encouraging you, there is no need to be afraid.
The prircipal reason why the Holy Spirit is in the world today is to glorify the Son of God. Jesus said of the Spirit, "He shall gIorify me" (John 16:14). The Spirit of God did not come to glorify men or churches or organizations; Fie came to glori .fy Jesus Christ. If you and I are living for the glory, of God, then the Spirit of God will encotarage us and enable us to serve Christ. But if we are looking for the glory, then we will grieve the Spirit. It is a dangerous thing to t.w to control the Holy Spirit and tell Him what He can do in our lives. We need never fear what the Spirit of God will do, for He loves us and wants the very best for our lives. The Spirit always obe.Vs the Wor of God and will never lead you out Jf the ,will of God. If you find yourself discouraged and ready to quit, take time to examine your relationship to the Holy Spirit. Are you fully yielded to Him? Are you grieving Him by unconfessed sin? Are you quenching Him by willful disobedience? Have you been neglecting your Bible and prayer? These are the usual causes of spiritual defeat and discouragement, and we need to make things right when we discover they are wrong.
But suppose you are obeying the Lord and seeking to glorify Christ, and you a-e still under a cloud of discouragement. What then? Yield to the Spirit and trust Him to work matters out in His good time. Feed on the Word of God. Do not permit yourself to give in to your feelings or to judge God's promises by the difficult circumstances around you. The Spirit of God is not distant from you, sending you advice; He is living in you and giving you the strength and wisdom you need for the decisions of life. Trust Him, wait for His help, and know that He will never fail you. In due time, the Comforter will minister to your needs and encourage your hear,." (pp. 111-112).
For a long time, God seem so absent even though I continually was seeking God in prayer, worship, and Bible reading. I had so much fear and so much anxiety all this week, and yet the Holy Spirit really ministered to me today. No, my problem is not solved, but there is something about knowing that God is with us that encourages us and gives us hope and happiness. Often, the ODB devotional is so powerful and today's was such a devotional.
 
Abide With Me July 21, 2012
Our Daily Bread is hosted by Les Lamborn

READ: Hebrews 13:1-8

Let your conduct be without covetousness; be content with such things as you have. For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” —Hebrews 13:5
One of the highlights of English football (soccer) each year is the final match of the annual FA Cup Final. For more than a hundred years, the day has been marked by excitement, festivity, and competition. But what fascinates me is how the game begins. It starts with the singing of the traditional hymn “Abide With Me.”
At first that struck me as odd. What does that hymn have to do with football? As I thought about it, though, I realized that for the follower of Christ it has everything to do with sports, shopping, working, going to school, or anything else we do. Since there is no corner of our lives that should not be affected by the presence of God, the longing that He would abide with us is actually the most reasonable thing we could desire. Of course, the presence of our heavenly Father is not something we need to plead for—it is promised to us. In Hebrews 13:5, we read, “For [God] Himself has said, ‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’”
Not only is God’s presence the key to our contentment, but it is also the promise that can give us wisdom, peace, comfort, and strength—no matter where we are or what we are doing. —Bill Crowder
Thank You, Lord, for walking with us every day.
You are our guardian, friend, and guide.
May we sense Your loving presence and always
know that You are close by our side. Amen.
Our greatest privilege is to enjoy Christ’s presence.

Help, Hope, and Happiness

I really struggled today after waking up from a nap this afternoon. A wave of discouragement came over me when I tried to get to my dining room chair. It was difficult to get there as it has so many other times in the past, but this afternoon, I felt oppressed by discouragement and hopelessness. I was near to the point of sorrow when I asked God if He cares and if He is present in our hardship. The title of this chapter seems so timely and needed for me today.
"I was paging through an old Bible of mine one day and discovered a note I had written in the margin on August 13, 1957. At that time I was sharing an evangelistic mission in Denmark, and the going was reallv tough. The verse I had marked was Psalm 146:5: "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord) his God." I'm sure that verse gave me great encouragement for that day, because it promises everything that the Christian needs--help, hope, and happiness. This verse is like those charts on the back of cereal boxes that list the minimum daily requirements for health. Here we have the minimum daily requirements for spiritual health- help, hope, and happiness." (p. 104).
I never heard that phrase before. The minimum daily requirements for spiritual health. If that is the case about spiritual health, than today, I have no help, no hope, and no happiness. I guess you can say that I am doing very poor in terms of spiritual health today. When our hope is in the Lord, we should be happy. It is not like I have been ignoring God. I have prayed more, and meditated on more Scripture this month than I did the first three months of this year. Yet, my level of hope comes and goes. Often my prayer time and happiness is highest in the morning. Now, it is late afternoon and I am oppressed with hopelessness.
"But there is One whose help is far above all, and that One is the God of Jacob. God can do for us what nobody else can do. Psalm 46:1 tells us that God is "a very present help in trouble." The psalmist said, "My help cometh from the Loan, which made heaven and earth" (Ps. 121:2). You and I trust people, yet people fail us; and we sometimes fail others. But when we put our trust in the Lord, He gives the kind of help that never fails.
God is called here "the God of Jacob," and this is a great encouragement to me because Jacob was always needing help. When he tricked his brother and father and had to leave home, Jacob was all alone in an unfriendly world. Yet God protected him and directed him and met his every need. When other men tried to hurt Jacob, God stepped in to shelter him. God fulfilled His purposes for Jacob and made him the father of the tribes of Israel. Jacob was sometimes a disobedient man, but God still helped him and saw him through.
So here is a word of encouragement for us today: The God of Jacob is our help. Hebrews 13:6 reads, "The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." Cast your burden on the Lord, and by faith, receive the help that He alone can give. "God is our refuge and strength, a ever present help in trouble." (p. 105).
I never thought of God of Jacob in that same way. Who is the God of Jacob. I only was thinking that since Jacob was the father of the Israelites, this term was simply pointing out to the God who we know as YHWH. But, this personalizes it a bit. Jacob saw God's help in times of danger many times. I think of when he fled his home because his brother wanted to kill him or when he fled his father-in-law or the time when he received news of his brother with a multitude of men coming to meet him. Yes, Jacob knew what it meant to face danger but God delivered him out of all his troubles. He died an old man who walked with God and saw the births of his grandchildren. In the same way, I know that God has gotten me through so many things and several times from death itself. Why then is it so hard to think God is going to help in this present circumstance?
"When you know Jesus Christ, you always have hope. Paul tells us that Jesus Christ is our hope! To the Christian, hope is not a mirage or a blind optimism. Our hope in Christ is a certainty. Hebrews 6:19 tells us that our hope in Christ is an anchor. And that anchor will never slip or never fail. The Christian "rejoices in hope" because he knows that the future is secure in Christ.
Our hope in Christ is based on the Word of God, the Bible. Because we trust His promises, we experience His hope. No matter how dark the day may become, we still have the light of His Word to encourage us. Ferdinand Magellan took thirty-five compasses with him when he started on his voyage around the world. A ship without a compass is doomed--and so is a life without hope. The Word of God is the light that encourages us and the compass that guides us.
Of course, if you have never trusted Christ as your Savior, you have no hope. It is only when you surrender to Him that hope comes into your heart. The Christian never has to lose hope because he has a Savior to walk with him into the future. Even when you walk through the valley of the shadow of death you will not be afraid, because Jesus will be right there with you. When you know Him, you have help and you have hope, so that the present and the future are all taken care of." (p. 106).
Help is about the present. Hope is about the future. Yet, I don't fully sense this. I think hope also is about the present. Yes, the Bible is our compass. We Christians know where we are going. We have the promises of hope in the life after. For the believer, heaven is a certainty and the hope of it. Yet a weakness of this author as I am noticing is that he does not really offer much in terms of the present moment. Yes, heaven needs to be on our minds, but I don't really see how heaven makes our present moment any better. Hope needs to be available now for our present circumstance.
"What is it you need right now? Do you need help? "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help..." says Psalm 146:5, Do you need hope? "Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the LORD his God." And when you have God's help and hope, you will experience His happiness as well, You will have help for today and hope for tomorrow because you trust Christ; and you will have happiness in your heart as a blessed by-product of God's grace." (p. 107).
Prayer:
Father, I am really struggling today. I am really struggling with hope today. As such, I really struggle with happiness. When our hope is in You we have happiness. I see how You helped Jacob and I see how You have helped me in the past, but why is it so hard to see Your help and hope now, in this season of my life? Right now, it feels so much like You do not care. It seems so much like You are absent and I feel forgotten by You. Yet, their are instances like today when You show me that You hear. You know how I have been praying for a Bill Johnson faith, a personal, intimate, and supernatural faith, a faith of power, boldness, fruitfullness, and intimacy with You. I have not read the paper in so long, and there right in the New York Times today was the runner from Bill Johnson's church. Somehow, some way, You are present in my life, You know my thoughts, desires, and hopes, but yet I feel so abandoned and alone.  Father, I want to have hope, and to experience Your help and healing in my life. I have been so discouraged, fearful, and depressed in this season and want victory over this darkness. Dear Lord Jesus, please reach out with Your restoring, liberating, and healing touch.