Hard Times Hurt

It seems like more and more I hear of friends suffering because of the hard times we find our country facing. Friends are losing their jobs, getting cuts in pay, losing benefits, or worrying about when the layoff will effect them.  Others are watching their home fall into foreclosure.  To top it off, the paycheck seems to be spent way before it comes and it seems to be getting lower and lower.  Where do we turn?

I was thinking about the hard time of a friend earlier and remembered the story of Abram (later Abraham) in the Bible.

At that time there was a severe famine in the land, so Abram went down to Egypt to wait it out. (Genesis 12:10)

When famine struck, Abram picked up his family and went to Egypt to wait it out.  But wait a minute...God had called Abram to leave everything and come to this land.  Why would there be a famine in the land where God had just called Abram?  This was a test of Abram's faith, and Abram passed. He didn't question God's leading when facing this difficulty. Many believers find that when they determine to follow God, they immediately encounter great obstacles. The next time you face such a test, don't try to second-guess what God is doing. Use the intelligence God gave you, as Abram did when he temporarily moved to Egypt, and wait for new opportunities.

I want you to know, dear brothers and sisters, that everything that has happened to me here has helped to spread the Good News. (Phil. 1:12)

As we live for Christ, we will experience troubles because we are trying to be God's people in a perverse world. Some people say that troubles are the result of sin or lack of faith, but Paul teaches that they may be a part of God's plan for believers. Our problems can help us look upward and forward, instead of inward (Mark 13:35-36; Phil. 3:13-14); they can build strong character (Romans 5:3-4); and they can provide us with opportunities to comfort others who also are struggling.

Allow hard times to bring you to a point of looking upwards rather than outwards.  Don't try to fix it - allow God to do that.  Just trust Him.  If you are like me, for the most part, I can look back on my hard times and see how God used them for my betterment.  I don't mean they didn't hurt; don't mean they always made sense; and I don't mean that God caused them necessarily.  But I DO mean that God used them!

We know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. (Romans 8:28)

So if you are going through a hard time in a time that finds many doing so, hang in there!  Hold your head up and you tilt it up to look and listen for God.  He's still in control.  And He will see us through!

Steve

The Battle Over The Mind

I'm sure I'm not telling you anything you don't already know... but if you are a "believer" you know what I'm talking about when I say "the battle over the mind is the hardest battle of all"!  Does that make sense or is it just me?

I mean the 'struggles in life' themselves are nowhere close to the struggles of the mind.  That's where the real battle is.

For example, currently in my life, I struggle with disability from health issues, relationship defeat, pain from chronic back issues, pain from sciatic nerve issues among others.  And these are hard - well to me anyway.  But the struggle with how my 'mind' treats these issues keeps me at times in complete disarray and to a point of failure;  literally making me feel like a failure if I'm not careful.

Paul, in Romans 7 says it this way:

Romans 7:23-25 (NIV)
²³ but I see another law at work in the members of my body, waging war against the law of my mind and making me a prisoner of the law of sin at work within my members. ²⁴ What a wretched man I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death?
²⁵ Thanks be to God--through Jesus Christ our Lord! So then, I myself in my mind am a slave to God's law, but in the sinful nature a slave to the law of sin.

Notice that while his battle was in the members of his body, the 'war' was in the 'law of my mind'.  Now, Paul was talking about his struggle with 'sin'.  But isn't sin anything that breaks the victory we have in Jesus Christ - our relationship?

The Great Deceiver uses anything he can in his bag of tricks to break our joy in the Lord; whether it's pain, broken relationships, suffering, addiction, and on and on.  The battle comes from anything that breaks our joy.  The pain from these wars brings me at times to a point of defeat - spiritual failure.

So how do we win the war? This is what becomes important and while I really haven't found victory, I have found "help in the battle".  I found it in a sermon that I now know God was sending to me though I was preparing it for others. Hopefully, it may help you also in your "war against the law of my (your) mind".

1. Confession -  Tell God!  Honesty!  Just as a child shares with his parent his pain, suffering, and defeats, share your 'battles' with God.  He wants to know.  Just as talking with a therapist can many times help through sharing, so sharing with God can soothe the soul.
2. Receive His Grace - When Paul asked God 3 times for the removal of a "thorn", God's reply was "my grace is sufficient" 2 Cor 12:9.  God has the love and power to supply the amount of grace needed for each moment.  Receive it in faith;
3. Revive Self Determination - Read this quote that makes good sense; Here's how Francis of Sales, a Seventeenth Century mystic handled his failings:

 "Well my poor soul, here we are in the ditch again – in spite of our earnest resolve to stay out of it. "Ah well, let us get out and be on our way; and we will do well enough, God helping us."

The 'battle' may wage on but the 'mind' can find 'peace in the storm'.  So if you are like me and find yourself in the midst of despair, seek the peace of God; the peace, as Paul says in Philippians 4:7, "and the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus".

I don't know about you, but I need this peace!  Hope this helps!

"Being Thankful" - Truthful or Fake It?

Well that sounds kind of silly doesn't it? I mean, of course we are thankful all the time - like right? I know I'm supposed to be. I read all the verses and I keep hearing and preaching that at all times we are to,

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)
¹⁶ Rejoice always,
¹⁷ pray without ceasing,
¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

But then, what about those times when, if we are honest, we just are not?  Are we to just "fake it"? Are we to  lie to God who knows everything?

Recently, well more like the last three years or so, I have found myself in the nightmare of my life. Things that I thought were right, decisions I made with good intentions, even intentions that were for the best, all backfired. What should have gone right went absolutely wrong.  Did I make mistakes, presume too much, and take too many chances? Yes.  But was my heart solid? Yes.

So, here am I on the Sunday morning after Thanksgiving getting up early to touch off the notes on my "thanksgiving sermon" of all things.  I had been asking over a week the question, "how do you preach a sermon on 'being thankful' when if you are honest with yourself and with God - "you aren't thankful"?


I mean, the truth is that God knew my heart; He knew my attitude stunk; He knew I was angry;  So should I stand up in the pulpit all bright and pretty and say "rejoice - pray - and in everything GIVE THANKS"?

I couldn't do it.  I've learned in my life that if you are in a great time in your life, you either have just come out of a bad time or about to go into one.  Life at many stages of our life is just not good. And intentions, though honorable at the time, just don't always show from actions that don't work out.

So back to the question, do we be a fake thanker or one of truth?  You know what I have learned?  If God knows my heart - then being anything other than truthful is a lie.  What else does...

Matthew 5:36-37 (NKJV)
³⁶ Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black.
³⁷ But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one. 

Doesn't "yes" being 'yes' and "no" being 'no' simply mean to be truthful?  I believe God wants me to be honest and so that He has something to work with.

So "NO", I'm sorry but right now at this point in my life, it stinks! But I have to remind myself that while I may not see it; while I hate it now; while life is soooo confusing and unfair, I have to remind myself that "joy will come in the morning".  And when I remind myself of this, I remember that...

Romans 8:28 (NKJV)
²⁸ And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.

So on this Thanksgiving, maybe you too find yourself at a rotten time.  Life hasn't made sense and you are just MAD. I want to reach out to you and say, "don't fake it; don't lie about it; instead be truthful".  God understands. A good friend told me, (and this is not a quote but as best as memory allows), "if God didn't understand our anger, He wouldn't have given us this emotion"!

Let's revisit one passage...

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (NKJV)¹⁶ Rejoice always,¹⁷ pray without ceasing,¹⁸ in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

Can we "rejoice" knowing that He understands?  Can we "pray" even in anger telling God our heart, feelings, and frustrations?  And can we "be thankful" because we believe that "joy WILL come in the morning"? YES; And when the joy finally returns, then in a real spirit of true Thanksgiving give God all the praise knowing He will continually use that bad time of your life for your good and His Honor!

So if you, like me, are rotten - may I say "hang in there"?  You and I are not alone. I agree, no one can walk in your shows and doesn't really understand because they aren't in your shows.  But we've come through bad times before and likely this one won't be the last one.  We take them day by day, hour by hour, minute by minute.  And while no one can really understand your feelings - hang on to God's promise...

1 Kings 8:57 (NIV)
⁵⁷ May the LORD our God be with us as he was with our fathers; may he never leave us nor forsake us.

No, I don't understand what you are going through. Hey, I don't understand what I am going through nor do I know how I will get through it.  It's tough. So together, let's just take today. As James says, "tomorrow has enough trouble of its own."  Let's just get through today and allow God to worry about tomorrow!

Let's get through this together...

Seeking Direction in the Midst of a Trial

One of the privileges of being a pastor is that when you prepare for a message that should feed others, you get fed in the process far more than the recipients.  This is what has happened with my study of our current series studying the first New Testament Church in Acts 1 - 8.

The most recent blessing and whipping I had  was the prayer of the people when Peter and John, upon release of being arrested for healing and preaching the Name and Resurrection of Jesus Christ,  came back to the church and reported all that had happened.

What do you think they did?  They prayed!  What do you think they prayed? If you are like me, I would expect them to pray asking God to remove the devil's attempt to stop their leaders from doing the purpose God had called them to do - to grow the church by being His witness.

But that's NOT what they prayed!  Instead they didn't ask for God to remove the trial.  They asked God to "do whatever Your hand and Your Purpose determined before to be done"!  And that wasn't all; they continued and asked "grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your Word" (Acts 4)

No, let's not ask "please remove this persecution".  Wow did I get a whipping.  I've always asked God to "protect me from evil and the deceiver's attacks"; "remove the trial".  I would forget of Paul's asking God to "remove the thorn" 3 x and each time God's answer was the same, "my grace is sufficient".

I don't know what chapters 3 - 4 have done to the church family and to those of you that have listened to the sermons on the website at www.nhbc-newnan.org. Why should we stoop to think that God cannot handle the trials of life we walk.  Why do we seem to think we should have it so easy - the truth is we are NOT AT HOME yet!

Psalm 32:8 (NKJV)
⁸ I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye.


What God promised Paul is promise for His children.  "My grace is sufficient".  What do we ask in the midst of the storm?

"God, grant to your servants great power to do whatever Your Hand and Your purpose determined long ago. Grant us boldness to be Your witness and walk through whatever trial we come against."
"instruct us and teach us in the way we should go.  Guide us with Your eye and allow us the strength not only to go but also to learn your way"

Oh may our God forgive me for trying to take the easy way out!

May you be blessed in your path!

Pastor Steve

BJ and Chico's Aimless Run!

I am laying in bed trying to fight pneumonia - and I admit I'm not a good patient non the less.  I have two dogs, both old but spoiled rotten.  One is a (forgive spelling) shitzhu named "BJ" and the other a well tempered (again forgive spelling) chichaua  "Chico" .  They are both loving animals and are great with our grands.

But anyway, all of a sudden a noise goes coboom and they go crazy.  You know the drill - barking and barking.  Don't know what they are barking at mind you, but they just bark the same.  Finally, someone lets them out.  As they go out, the light sensor cuts on because of their movement and you can watch them run around aimlessly barking up a storm - though they know not what they are barking for.  Running from corner to corner, wagging their tals, yet yelling an anger - they just run, look at each other, bark, wag, and then start it all over.

As I chuckled over them, I began to think of our lives as Christians.  Sometimes I think we are the same.  We get on a roll, we bark, we push, aimlessly, then we lose focus and forget what we are running about.  I wonder what would happen if we really took hold of the prize for what we been called and rather than aimlessly running began to run with a passion for the real cause, to win the prize.

I read an article in our current Western Word newsletter that really took note.  Forgive me for not remembering the writer's name.  He was a retired pilot who took off from carriers, ran a mission, and then returned for the landing.

He said this:

Take off is optional; Landing is mandantory!  And then he brought the best illustration.  The optional take off is the acceptance of our Lord's forgiveness - it's our choice.  But once we've accepted the take off, the rest is mandantory.  Our landing is the charge to "go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father, son and holy spirit".  The landing is a process that begins at take off and lands when we Christ calls his church home! 

So how are you flying?

The Flower of Christ

I know I'm behind the times but sometimes I learn something exciting and refreshing! This year it's the legend of the beautiful Dogwood Tree. (i hate to admit it, but I've been looking this year at pear trees that I thought were dogwood trees...).

When I was corrected, feeling so nutty, I decided to look up the facts on this awesome tree. Did you know that legend shows that history associates the Dogwood Tree with the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ? That part I knew but I didn't know the petals won't bloome until after Easter.

This is what learned:

Each petal has the shape of a cross - two long petals and two short. Look closely at the center of each petal and see there are small holes remindful of nail prints. The center cluster reminds us of the thorns that were thrust into our Lord's head.

At the time of the crucifixion, the dogwood was as large as the Oak trees of today. Because the wood was so strong and firm it was chosen to be the wood for the crosses used in the crucifixion of criminals. To be used for such a cruel purse, the crucified Christ said:

"Because of your compassion and pity for My suffering, never again
shall the tree grow large enough to be used as a cross. Henceforth, you shall
be slender and bent and twisted and your blossoms shall be in the form of a
cross.

On the outer edge of each petal there will be nail prints, and the
center of the flower will resemble the cruel crown of torns placed on My head,
with bright red clusters once again recalling the blood I shed. Thus all
who see this will remember Me".

When and where the legend first appeared is unknown. But the "how" of its origin is clear. It was a spontaneous reaction of a people who were deeply familiar with the life, death, and resurrection of our Lord, and who saw imprints of it everywhere in nature. It was a profound love of Christ that inspired a legend.

(article quote comes from "The Legend of the Dogwood" by Elaine M. Jordan)

----

Wow! What a blessing! What a reminder at the beginning of the Easter season to remind us of the cost, love, and victory of the cross.

He's Knocking!

You know, it amazes me how good God is! He's always there when you pause to consider all that is taking place in our lives. We see Him and His handiwork in all of life. We hear His voice speaking to us. And He just keeps on coming on! Thank You for your love, grace, compassion, presence, and your willingness to love your children as you do.

We need to pause from these crazy schedules to thank God for all He is don't we? Why not, right now, just pause to say "thanks". Tell Him what He's done for you and praise Him for it. He wants to hear from his children or He wouldn't continually "knock on the door" waiting for us to let him in. He wants to dine with us!

We spend our best moments with our family and friends around the dinner table whether it's at home or out on the town. That's the illustration He gives us in Revelations 3:20.

Revelation 3:20 (NKJV)
²⁰ Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and dine with him, and he with Me.

Isn't that awesome! He's knocking all the times wanting to fellowship with us! So let him in. Dine with him and talk about your day, your family, your needs. but also your love for Him!