Spiritual

IN THE SHADOWS OR CASTING THE SHADOW….


Spiritual Blog - Shadows

Psalms 91:1 – “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”  NASU

I do not mean to disparage E.J. Rollings old gospel song, “Standing Somewhere in the Shadows.”  But I do believe that it begs the question, “Is Jesus in the shadows or is He casting the shadow?”  The song has some tremendous words and meaning and when we come to the chorus we find:

 

“Standing somewhere in the shadows you’ll find Jesus,

                        He’s the Friend who always cares and understands.

                        Standing somewhere in the shadows you will find Him,

                        And you’ll know Him by the nail prints in His hands.”

             Truly, Jesus is the friend who always cares and understands and the one who paid the supreme sacrifice on the Cross for our salvation.  Yet, too often people are looking for Him in the shadows when He is the one casting the shadow and instead of drifting into the shadows to find Him we should realize as Psalms 91 declares that we ‘abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’  He is the one causing the shadow.

I think I understand E.J. Rollings intent and it is good but I wonder how many misinterpret the song and life with an image of our Lord as being somewhere just out of sight and reach when He is the brightness of the noonday sun and His presence casts a long shadow over us.  In that closeness to Him, we are safe and secure knowing that His outstretched arm affords us protection.  His presence affords us peace.  His nearness testifies of His greatness and as we walk near Him all fear is banished from our hearts.

So instead of looking for Jesus in the ‘shadows’ realize that He is ‘casting the shadow’ and He is so near that we can reach out and touch Him.  He walks beside us.  He walks in us.  He is nearer than our breath and in that presence, all shadows are banished and all fear is repelled.  Know that if we ‘call’ He will ‘answer.’  Know that He will ‘never’ leave us ‘nor’ forsake us.  Know that His promises are ‘Yes’ and ‘Amen.’  Know that you cannot walk without Jesus.  Know that you cannot escape His presence for as the Psalmist said, “If I ascend to the heavens or make my bed in hell YOU ARE THERE!”

May the nearness of God be so real to you today that you develop a new and renewed confidence and boldness!  God bless you as you go through your day!

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BORN TO BE DIFFERENT….


Spiritual Blog - Different

Matthew 5:13-16 – “You are the salt of the earth; but if the salt loses its flavor, how shall it be seasoned? It is then good for nothing but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot by men. 14 “You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden.  15 Nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.”  NKJV

             I realize that Paul appealed to the Church in Corinth in 1 Corinthians 1:10 that they ‘all speak the same thing, be without division, and joined in the same mind and judgment.’  However, that does not negate the truth that we were all BORN TO BE DIFFERENT.  None of us are the same, each of us is unique and each has a particular purpose in the Kingdom of God.  Jesus said if salt loses its ability to ‘season’ it has no purpose.  He said that a light that does not ‘illuminate’ has no purpose.  Likewise, a voice that is ‘not heard’ or ‘does not cry out’ has no purpose.  We become like trees in the orchard that produce no fruit and after time we are only taking up space, space that a fruit-bearing tree could occupy.

You do not have to preach in a pulpit or have some spellbinding testimony to be a witness for the Lord.  You are ‘salt’ and ‘light’ and you can impact the world that you live in and you should.  Your presence should bring ‘seasoning’ to your environment and impact lives.  I knew a man that never preached a sermon, never did any great exploits, never accomplished great feats but at his funeral, there were scores of people from what many would call the ‘other side of the tracks’ at his service and one after the other echoed their eternal gratefulness for this man.  He had impacted their lives simply by his life!  He lived before them more than he said to them the gospel.  They testified that it was his compassion and consistency that slowly broke down the walls of resistance they had built up in their lives.  It was his example simply being ‘salt’ and ‘light’ that drew them into the Kingdom.  He never tooted his horn or proclaimed what he was doing HE JUST DID IT. 

I have had the privilege of preaching to large and small crowds and that has been a thrill to be so used of God but the most important thing is not how much or how often I have preached but how I have lived.  How has my life impacted others?  How has my example been seen by others?  I pray to God that my life has been ‘salt’ and ‘light’ for those that I have influenced through the years.  I pray that I have touched some for the good of the gospel.

Do not think that you have to be a great orator or have a large following or platform from which to speak simply LIVE THE LIFE and allow your life to be ‘salt’ and ‘light’ in this present world.

             God bless you as you go through your day!

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HOW MUCH AM I TO LOVE YOU?


Spiritual Blog - Love of God

Mark 12:31 – “The second is this, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” NASU

             It is very interesting to me that the Greek word used here for ‘love’ is (agapao) which comes from a word that means ‘much’ and can be seen in contrast to (phileo) or brotherly love.  It is a deeper love than just a casual social appreciation of someone.  It was not (storge) which is a fondness through familiarity or (philia) which is friendship or (eros) the romantic attraction but (agape) which is an unconditional love or a God-kind of love.

That being said, if everyone were to take this passage literal from a personal viewpoint of how they regard themselves the world would be in a world of hurt because some people have anything but LOVE for themselves and then others have nothing but LOVE for themselves.  Some have an unhealthy un-love for others and some have an unhealthy love for themselves and to love others as they love themselves would be dangerous and difficult.  Yet, if we are ‘in Christ’ and His love is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit and we do not think higher of ourselves than we should then we can love others in a wholesome and balance way that produces a beautiful interaction and relationship.

If we view others through the eyes of the Spirit of God and realize that they are creations of the Father and follow what is called the Golden Rule and truly react and respond to others like we would desire to be treated we will find more peace than turmoil in our relationships.  It is when we attempt to ‘love’ others without first coming to grips with ‘who we are’ and having the ‘who and whose we are’ settled in Christ we have difficulty.  I have heard people say all my life, “You have to look out for old number one” to justify whatever it was that they did and the way they treated or took advantage of others.  That is not ‘loving your neighbor as yourself’ that is disregarding your neighbor for yourself.  It is contrary to what Jesus called the 2nd Great Commandment of God.  If we get the 1st one right the 2nd one is easy but until we get the 1st one right the 2nd one is almost impossible.

I cannot love you on an equal plane with myself if I have not first learned to be comfortable with ’who I am in God.’  It is only as I find myself in God and know that I can trust Him can I make myself vulnerable and ‘love you’ as I do myself.  The self-defense part of our natures prevents that and it is only as we move from the ‘survival mode’ to a life hidden with Christ in God that we can move out of our inner sanctuary of self-protection and LOVE biblically.

            May God be with you as you go through this day!

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THE RESULT OF TRYING TO DETHRONE GOD….


Spiritual Blog - Rebellion

Genesis 11:1-9 – “Now the whole earth used the same language and the same words. 2 It came about as they journeyed east, that they found a plain in the land of Shinar and settled there. 3 They said to one another, “Come, let us make bricks and burn them thoroughly.” And they used brick for stone, and they used tar for mortar. 4 They said, “Come, let us build for ourselves a city, and a tower whose top will reach into heaven, and let us make for ourselves a name, otherwise we will be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth.” 5 The LORD came down to see the city and the tower which the sons of men had built. 6 The LORD said, “Behold, they are one people, and they all have the same language. And this is what they began to do, and now nothing which they purpose to do will be impossible for them. 7 “Come, let Us go down and there confuse their language, so that they will not understand one another’s speech.” 8 So the LORD scattered them abroad from there over the face of the whole earth; and they stopped building the city. 9 Therefore its name was called Babel, because there the LORD confused the language of the whole earth; and from there the LORD scattered them abroad over the face of the whole earth.”  NASU

 

This ideology or desire on the part of man was not new to Nimrod and the people in Babel it actually began in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve.  However, it goes farther back as Isaiah identifies, it reaches back to when Lucifer, one of God’s Arch-angels, and rebelled against THE MOST HIGH.  He rebelled and convinced one-third of the angelic creation to go along with him in attempting to ‘dethrone’ God.  He convinced Adam and Eve that God was hiding something good from them and that if they ‘voted God out of office’ and became the center of their universes all would be wonderful.  It cost them the Garden and introduced death to the race.  Here in Babel the attempt to virtually ‘dethrone’ God and elevate man to a place that God will never allow brought about the inability to communicate, the various languages, and ethnicities that were scattered across the globe.  It has been the source of incredible confrontations and complications in man’s ability to live with man on planet earth.

Sadly, on a smaller scale, many do the same thing in their personal lives by ‘ignoring’ the clear directives of both the Word of God and the Spirit of God.  We refuse to ‘forgive’ and thereby close the door to forgiveness for ourselves, alienate another human being who could be useful in our journey, and bring injury to them and our ‘bitterness’ that results in others being defiled and their spirits marred.  I fully believe that God is sovereign but that does not negate His directive for me to ‘go into all the world and preach the gospel’ trying to bring the Good News to everyone so that none be lost.  Sadly, we have difficulty to communicate not just because of differences in spoken languages or dialects but in differences of beliefs we do not all speak the same language either naturally or spiritually.

I have found in my opportunities to minister around this nation and world that when I carefully ensure that God is supreme in my heart, mind, life, and thinking He has used some unique ways to help me communicate to others. God’s Love is a language that is universally understood even when our words are not.  The Spirit’s drawing power is universally felt even when our words fall short of explanation.  It is when we allow something to ‘dethrone’ God in our lives that we find the confusion setting in and in that state we are unable to communicate and cooperate with our fellow human travelers through this thing we call life.

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

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JESUS, LIFE, and the POLITICAL….


Spiritual Blog - Jesus is Lord

Matthew 4:4 – “…”It is written, ‘MAN SHALL NOT LIVE ON BREAD ALONE, BUT ON EVERY WORD THAT PROCEEDS OUT OF THE MOUTH OF GOD.'”  NASU

Did our Lord have anything to say on political matters during His time on earth?  That depends on whether you read His teachings for specific direct quotations regarding political matters or His implied statements in what He taught.

An example would be on ‘fair wages’.   In Matthew 20 our Lord told of the conscientious vineyard owner who was concerned about his crops being harvested and hiring idle laborers.  He, at different times of the day, went to the marketplace and hired laborers.  Then at the end of the day he took those he had hired last and paid them but when he came to those who had worked the full day he paid them the same amount and they were furious shouting and murmuring ‘unfair’ or in today’s world they would be calling for ‘wage and salary’ laws to be mandated to any employer.  Notice what Jesus said that the business owner said, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?  Or is your eye envious because I am generous?” (v.15) Our Lord was, by telling this story implying that it is the right and privilege of the laborer and the employer to come to an agreement as to wages and no outside entity should legislate differently.

The Bible speaks about caring for the ‘poor’, the ‘widows’, and ‘orphans’ as well as giving a clear directive regarding ‘laziness’ and ‘idleness’.  Therefore, indirectly and directly He speaks of the ‘entitlement world’ and gives a biblical directive on how we should operate regarding those in our family and communities.  He did not mention nor did any of the New Testament writers a ‘government program’ of welfare but a personal and community one.  Jesus spoke of unjust weights and measures speaking of unjust trade and there was a prescription for each of those and it always came back to the church, the community, and the individual to police.

Jesus did say to Peter regarding the taxes that were mandated, “Render to Caesar that which belongs to Caesar and to God that which belongs to God.”  We are told to ‘pray’ for those that rule over us.  Yet, our Bible speaks to every aspect of life and teaches that our lives should not and cannot be regulated or legislated into holiness or morality.  That is a matter of the heart not a matter of some man-made law.  Of course, we need laws and yes mankind is morally bankrupt enough that we cannot be a ‘law unto ourselves’ with regard to life and property.  But with regard to how we earn our livings, care for the needy, and do business we have a guidebook that is impeccable and if followed by individuals and the Church our world will dramatically turn from the present path of decadence and depravity toward a godly way.

So, before you adamantly proclaim that Jesus was never involved in politics you might want to read what He taught and realize that He dealt with life and politics is part of life.  I trust what Jesus said not what man thinks about what He said.  The Bible teaches and I believe that the most important is the eternal not the temporal.  The Bible, if followed will affect every dimension of life, including the political for the political affects life.  Jesus came that we might have LIFE and that life be abundant.  Abundance is not in what is possessed in the natural but what we have in our spirits.  We are in this world in the flesh but not of it in the spirit.  That means we must deal with everything that affects our lives in the here and now and maintain our relationship with our Creator preparing ourselves for our Eternal Destiny.

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

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GOD EXPECTS US TO KEEP OUR WORD….


Spiritual Blog - Word Keeping

Ecclesiastes 5:4-5 – “When you make a vow to God, do not delay to pay it; For He has no pleasure in fools. Pay what you have vowed — 5 Better not to vow than to vow and not pay.” NKJV

             In today’s world, a man’s word seems to be worth very little and that is a sad indictment of our society.  Politicians and Used Car Salesmen or two groups which are the brunt of many jokes about not being truthful.  It has often been said of both, “You know they are lying when their lips are moving.”  Having sold cars I never knowingly told anyone something that was not true and I know many others in the industry that had the integrity, to tell the truth.  Of course, I’ve known both politicians as well as salesmen that didn’t behave ethically, as have you.  But, to be honest I’ve known preachers that embellished the truth so often that you never knew when they were as one woman said to her pastor, “Pastor was that story true or were you just preaching?”  That is an incredibly sad thing to hear but unfortunately, it is sometimes the truth.

Why anyone would make a commitment to God, who knows all things at all times and then defer to fulfill it is beyond my comprehension.  God NEVER fails in His promises and if He says it then it is ABSOLUTE.  He expects nothing less from us.  Oh, He fully understands that we may find it difficult and even impossible to fulfill a commitment and in those cases, if we come to Him with a repentant and honest heart He will help us through that time and enable us to fulfill the commitment.

One thing I’ve seen too often is someone trying to bargain with God and bribe Him to do something that they desired.  They say, “God if you will do this, then I will do this.”  Then when God fulfills His part they realize that they have allowed their Elephant mouths to overload their peanut behinds and either cannot or do not want to keep their word.  In those cases, I would not want to be in their shoes!

Once when Jesus was being questioned about His authority to do what He did he used an interesting illustration found in Matt 21:28-31 – “”What do you think? There was a man who had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work today in the vineyard.’  29 “‘I will not,’ he answered, but later he changed his mind and went.  30 “Then the father went to the other son and said the same thing. He answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but he did not go. 31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?”  “The first,” they answered.” NIV

He emphasized doing the will of the Father far more than saying we will do something.  Words, in this case, are cheap, actions are powerful.  If I tell someone that I will do something, I endeavor with everything in my being and ability to do what I’ve promised.  If I find that I cannot, I humbly explain why I am, at that time, unable to fulfill my promise.  We’ve all had people tell us that they will do something and then it never happens and they never mention it and may even seek to avoid us as a result.  I’ve seen friendships destroyed, marriages damaged, business deals disintegrate, and churches split over that very thing.  What am I say, “If you give your word to God or man – KEEP IT!”  When you give your word you are giving your integrity! 

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

 

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SORRY, BUT I CAN’T SEE THAT….. (Part 2)


Spiritual Blog - Sorry

Proverbs 27:6 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” NASU

Yesterday I asked regarding ‘blind spots’ and our Christian walk – “Are You Consistent?”  Today I want to ask more questions beginning with the following:

ARE YOU SELF-CONTROLLED?

Romans 8:28 (Phillips) – “Moreover we know that to those who love God, who are called according to His Plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.”

This verse does not say that everything that happens is good.  It says that it will ultimately work for the good. Its focus is on the ‘finished product’ not the ‘process’ and ‘incidences’ along the way.  One of the greatest evidence of our walk in the Holy Spirit is the ‘fruit of the Spirit’ in our lives and those include ‘self-control’ and ‘temperance.’  Have you ever asked yourself why it is a mark of distinction to manifest a ‘controlled life?’  What is ‘self-control’?  What happens when ‘self-control’ is taken to the extreme?

Self-control referenced in the Bible is the quality of abiding or resting in the Lord.  When our entire world is being torn apart, tensions and trials are raging, and men’s hearts are failing them for fear of what they see or perceive is happening or going to the Holy Spirit enables the believer to demonstrate a peace and tranquility that surpasses human understanding.  It is trust in God’s Promises and Resting in them.  One of the reasons a leader or anyone needs to exhibit ‘self-control’ is STABILITY.  People are looking for and longing for Stability and Reality in life.  When the storms of life rage we need stability and that will come with ‘self-control’ or ‘Spirit Control.’

Remember Peter’s reminder of Jesus’ words in 1 Peter 5:7 where we are counseled to ‘cast all our cares or anxieties upon Him because He cares for us.’  Jesus said in Mathew 11:28-20 that we can come to Him and He will give us rest.  As believers, we need to ‘overwhelm’ the world with our calmness and tranquility in the midst of turmoil.

DO YOU THINK INDEPENDENTLY?

Palms 1:1 – “How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, nor stand in the path of sinners, nor sit in the seat of scoffers!”

People who study such matters tell us that the ‘real key’ as to whether a person conforms to the pressure of the group or resists peer pressure is whether it comes from that person’s ‘inner personal convictions’ or from the ‘external mores of his peer group.’  An individual with a strong healthy ‘self-image’ and ‘confidence in God’ will more readily resist negative peer pressure than one who does not have those attributes.  It takes strength to say NO! 

There are two groups who cannot or do not ‘think for themselves’:  The Classic Conformist and the Classic Non-Conformist.  Some people have a ‘convoy mentality’. Their life is lived by simply follow the directions of the crowd and we all know how dangerous that can be.  In Psalms 1 there are three words that need to be considered:  “Walk, Stand, Sit”.  This demonstrates a progression away from godly principles.  The Psalmist indicates that ‘walking, standing and sitting’ are deliberate choices.  Once we have broken the first barrier of ‘walking’ it is easier to feel comfortable ‘standing’ with sinners and once we accept their mindset can easily and comfortably ‘sit’ with them.

            May God be with you as you go through your day!

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SORRY, BUT I CAN’T SEE THAT…


Spiritual Blog - Blind Spots

Proverbs 27:6 – “Faithful are the wounds of a friend, but deceitful are the kisses of an enemy.” NASU

Have you ever taken a trip with six or seven people in a small car?  Even a short trip can seem like an endless journey when you are packed in like sardines.  I recall a friend telling of taking a trip in a small economy car with his family – six of them packed into that small vehicle.  He was unable to see through the back glass using the rearview mirror they were so packed in and it was an exercise in futility to try to get the children to all move in unison.  He had to completely trust his son to advise him when it was safe to change lanes and his son realizing how difficult it was for the dad to trust him said, “Dad, you have to believe me.  This is a real lesson in trust.”  You see, the boy was the dad’s eyes. He was able to fill in the ‘blind spots’ because he could see things from a better perspective.  All of us have BLIND SPOTS and need someone else to help us find them.

Our family and friends can often see things in our lives from a clearer or different perspective than we.  We sometimes become aware of our ‘blind spots’ as we see those same things in others.  This was possibly the situation when Nathan the prophet went to David the king to point out his ‘blind spot’.  Nathan used the approach of relating a supposed real incident to David and enable David to see for himself what his ‘blind spot’ was.

One would think that Nathan’s story would have been unnecessary.  How could a man cause the death of another without realizing the depravity of his own heart?  Sadly, that is where David was.  Maybe it was out of a sense of entitlement, I don’t know but in the story of David taking Uriah’s wife Bathsheba and having Uriah killed in battle is a horrific story of how a man like David can descend into the trap of sin.  Nathan used a third person story to get David’s attention and told of a rich man who had many sheep and a poor man who had only one.  When Nathan told David how the rich man had stolen the poor man’s singular sheep David was furious and declared that the guilty party should be put to death.  At that point, Nathan pointed his finger in David’s face and said, “You are the man!”  David immediately recognized his ‘blind spot’ and sin and cried out in repentance.

In saying this I must ask several questions as we seek to deal with our own ‘blind spots’ and move forward into what God would have us become.

ARE YOU CONSISTENT?

James 1:8 tells us that a ‘double-minded’ man is unstable in all his ways.  I am reminded of an account a preacher told me years ago. It was a time when God taught him the importance of ‘consistency.’  He as rushing home after having dropped off some of their children at school and in the back seat was his youngest son.  He was anxious to get home to attend to other things and began speeding down the highway.  The lad spoke up and said, “Dad you are going 75 miles an hour!”  It took him by surprise because he didn’t think the child could understand a speedometer but trying to conceal his surprise he said, “So what?”  The little boy said, “But the speed limit is 55”  At that moment the Holy Spirit began to minister to his heart and he realized that it was in his heart that he could do wrong so long as he didn’t get caught and it was okay.  He was, by his actions, teaching his child a ‘double-standard’ and conviction gripped him.  He was teaching his son that it was okay to ‘say one thing’ and yet ‘do another.”

For most adults ‘speeding’ is not a big deal but for a young child in the developmental stages of life it is ‘breaking the law’ and therefore wrong – CUT and DRIED!  It is a ‘double standard’ and if we can do it there why not everywhere?

I have more questions to pose but will stop there and pray that God grant you a great day and help you to be CONSISTENT!  Blessings!

 

 

 

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STRESS – PRESSURE – PEACE…. (Part 2)


Spiritual Blog - Stress

Psalms 46 – – Please read.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NASU

Picking up where we left off yesterday, I have found that Psalms 46 contains a powerful message for daily living.  It was born in the context of ‘extreme stress & pressure’. It is a healing balm for all who are bowed down under the load of the ‘Cares of Life.’  In church history, it is reported that Martin Luther, a man constantly under pressure and satanic attack found Psalms 46 to be an incredibly powerful source of comfort and peace and penned the words of a hymn:  “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, A Bulwark Never Failing.”

In the first verse of the Psalm, we find the theme of the Psalm – “God is our instant help when we are in a tight squeeze.”  The word ‘trouble’ in the Hebrew means ‘to be restricted, to be tied up in a narrow and cramped place.’  That calls to mind the old expression – “Between a rock and a hard place.”

STRESS means that I am being ‘pressed’ and ‘pressured’.  I am being ‘squeezed’.  When stress is doing a number on us is when we need to heed the words of the Psalmist that “God is our refuge and strength.”  It is when you are ‘stressed’, ‘pressured’, and ‘squeezed’ that you need to recognize the weakness of your humanity and the infiniteness of His Power!  It is in the midst of our troubles that God is building a ‘tent of refuge’ where He can bring us in out of the storm and refresh our spirits.

This Psalm notes three specific situations and offers consolation in those times:

  • Natural Calamities – – [vv. 1-3]

When these come the reaction is “I will not fear!”

  • Civil Disturbances – – [vv. 4-7]

The city is under attack.  The reaction is – “God is in the midst of her, she will not be moved.”

  • Post Battle Fatigue – – [vv. 8-11]

‘Cease striving and know that I am God”  Therefore the reaction is “I will not strive!”

This is about ‘conquering fear’ and even if the earth should change mountains should quake, and fire should roar out of control – – God is our bridge over troubled waters!  He should be but too often we do not recognize this aspect of His promise and power and crumble under the ‘stress’ and ‘pressure.’

Isaiah 41:10 – “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not anxiously look about you, for I am your God.”

2 Timothy 1:7 – “For God has not given us the Spirit of Timidity (fear), but of power and love and discipline (sound mind).”

Joshua 1:9 – “Be strong and very courageous.”

Psalms 27:1 – “The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?  The Lord is the defense (strength) of my life; whom shall I dread?”

Psalms 27:10 – “For my father and may mother have forsaken me, but the Lord will take me up.”

Elvis Presley popularized the term “All Shook Up”.  Elvis was born and grew up dirt poor in a little Mississippi town.  He had little encouragement and no special skill as far as the workplace was concerned.  At the age of 18, making $14 per week as a truck driver he decided to make a record and you know the rest of the story.  He became the best-paid male entertainer in American history.  Elvis said shortly before he died that he would give $1 Million for one week of a normal life and peace.  Money will not relieve stress.  Fame will not cure the pressures of stress.  The only cure is GOD!  

So as you enter this day I pray that God will help you to ‘cease striving’ and relax in Him.  May God be with you as you go through your day!

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STRESS – PRESSURE – PEACE….


Spiritual Blog - Stress

Psalms 46 – – Please read.

Philippians 4:6-7 – “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” NASU

I would venture to say that there are more people suffering under the heavy burden of ‘Stress & Pressure’ today than in any other generation.  More and more are finding ‘physical, emotional, and spiritual’ disorder in their lives because of the unbelievably face paced, pressure-packed way of living that is the norm in our present world.  STRESS & PRESSURE are two common, constant companions of many in the church and in the world.

A number of years ago I saw something in a Children’s Book that was too close to reality for comfort but hilarious at the same time.  The book was by Judith Viorst entitled, “Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.”  The account was:

“Alexander [7 or 8] had one of those days!  Nothing goes right.  He has back-to-back-to-back disappointments and tragedies like no one can believe.  His day is one continuous predicament after another.  In short, he cannot win for losing!  When he awoke in the morning he found that he had gone to sleep with gum in his mouth and now it was in his hair.  When he got out of bed he tripped on his skateboard and by mistake dropped his sweater in the sink while the water was running.  So he declared, “I can tell it is going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!”

After a terrible day at school, a horrible visit to the dentist, a no-good stop at the shoe store, Alexander slumped in his chair at the dinner table and his troubles continue to mount.  He looked at the offering of food and there were lima beans and he hated lima beans, there was kissing on television and he hated kissing, his bath was too hot, he got soap in his eyes, his marble went down the tub drain, and he had to wear his railroad train pajamas to be and he hated those pajamas.  His Mickey Mouse night light burned out and he bit his tongue getting into bed.  The cat wanted to sleep with his brother not him so he once again concludes – “This has been a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day!” 

Most of us have experienced something similar!  Humans are really strange creatures.  Have you ever wondered why we run or hurry about when we get lost?  Instead of regrouping and finding our way our senses tend to run in all directions, and we ‘hurry, worry, and bury!’  What we need to do is STOP and allow the Holy Spirit to take control and restore order to our lives.  We need to relearn that GOD is GOD!

STRESS is a result of taking more upon ourselves than God intended.  In a sense, we play God in the matter.  Dr. Thomas Homes of Washington University has done research into the problem of stress and published his findings in terms of “Life Changing Units”.  He gave them on a scale of 100 points.  Death of a spouse = 100 units.  Divorce = 73 units.  Pregnancy = 40 units.  Remodeling a home = 25 units, and Christmas = 12 units.  The conclusion was that from a strictly human viewpoint, no person in his own strength could handle 300 or more units in a 12 month period without suffering ‘physically’ or ‘emotionally’ and I add ‘spiritually’ during the next 2 years!

In truth, if we are crippled by stress we cannot be very useful to God, ourselves, or anyone else.  If we are crippled by stress we cannot enjoy the simple pleasures of life.  So it is imperative that we learn “God’s Secrets of Handling Stress.”  You cannot avoid stress but you can avoid being crippled by it.  As Paul says in Philippians 4:6 – “Be anxious for nothing….”  The converse of that is “Be content and at peace in everything.”

I want to deal more with this briefly tomorrow but until then may God help you to rise above the chains of stress and rejoice!  Blessings as you go through your day!

 

 

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