WORRY, WHAT ME WORRY

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Remember the old comic book: What Me Worry? It was a publication trying to get its readers to be happier, among other things. What do you worry about? Today, there are so many events, situations, or people who can make us worry. Many times, we worry about things on which don’t make sense. Of course, there are some who have a condition that is a mental or physical that make it extremely difficult not to worry. Those people avoid crowds, tight situations, and some even are unable to leave their home. I have a personal knowledge of this type of more permanent anxiety as an ongoing condition. My daughter has suffered with this essentially all of her life. My wife and I did not know about this condition for many years as it was not widely known about. She was finally able to get some help from a professional in this field but not until she was a teenager. So, we need to differentiate those conditions that are mental and physical from the worry that is written about in Matthew.

       An example of what causes many to worry about temporarily is presented is the story of the nervous airline passenger who was pacing the terminal when bad weather delayed his departure. During his walk he came across a life insurance machine that offered $100,000 in the event of an untimely death aboard his flight. The policy was just three dollars. He looked through the window at the threatening clouds and thought of his family at home. For that price it seemed foolish not to buy a policy, so he took out the coverage. He then looked for a place to eat while he was waiting during the delay, and he found a Chinese restaurant. It was a relaxing meal until he opened his fortune cookie, which read, “Your recent investment will pay big dividends”. (Thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah for this story).

            We may smile at the disconcerted traveler, but we all battle those nagging concerns that disturb our sense of inner peace. Our lives are full of concern, and sometimes these concerns have a way of morphing into monsters of the mind. This is the type of worry about which this article is written to help us. This type of worry can be concern on steroids. It attacks our peace of heart, assaults our faith, ties our intestines in knots, fills our minds with shadows, and sends flaming darts to pierce our emotional wellbeing.

       This is the type of worry and anxiety that the Book of Matthew records from Jesus and provides help to overcome. In Matthew chapter six there are many scripture verses from the Sermon on the Mount which serves as a definitive description from Jesus for our worry, anxiety, and for our daily walk of faith. The complete passage is in Matthew 6:25-34-Jesus said, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry…So why do you worry…? Do not worry…Do not worry”. What exactly is this troubling attitude? Everyone has their own way of describing it. The dictionary defines worry as a set of thoughts that causes us to feel troubled or uneasy, distressed, anxious, or apprehensive”. The Bible provides a host of more vivid definitions, but many of these sayings are attributed to many various people that reveal a different aspect of their anxious thoughts. The following are a few of these definitions from others:

       “Worrying is like a rocking chair. It gives you something to do but doesn’t get you anywhere.”

        “Worry is the misuse of your God-given imagination”.

        “Worry is putting question marks where God has put periods,”

        “Worry is interest we pay on tomorrow’s troubles”.

        “Worry is a form of atheism because it assumes there is no God watching over us”.

        “Worry is faith in the negative”.

        “Worry is an emotional spasm which occurs when the mind catches hold of something and will not let it go”.

There are many others that may even be more actuate or helpful.

        Much of our worry concerns the future about which we can do nothing about. It is said that “The future is not here, and the future is not ours”. So, this is really saying we can’t control the future nor predict what it will look like. Only God knows the future, so we are letting our minds dealing with something we cannot control. Knowing this can help if we completely put our trust in God. So, let’s attempt to determine the best ways to do this.

        In Matthew 6, the Greek word for worry is “merizo”, which comes from two smaller words which mean to “divide” and “nous” which means “mind”. The idea, I’m told, is “being drawn or pulled in different directions, being torn apart.” So, worrying is like having your spirit pulled apart, having a mind divided between legitimate thoughts and destructive ones. James 1:8 it calls a doubter “a double minded man, unstable in all his ways”. Jesus warned Martha against such double-mindedness. Remember Martha was breezing around the house working and fretting and fusing trying to prepare domestic issues for Jesus and the group there. Jesus said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things, But one thing is needed, and Mary was chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

        Lots of us are Martha’s many times. We fly around, worried and troubled about many things. We live in a world that makes it easy to worry. With the news we see and hear today about everyday events, we realize we have a lot of valid reasons to worry about the future. But as Biblical Christians we have better reasons not to worry. When we worry, it is both emotionally and distressing and spiritual detrimental. However, worry can choke the word of God in our lives and render us unfruitful. It can tear our thoughts apart and make us double-minder doubters.

         When Jesus said, “Do not worry”, He was not telling us to forego planning. Jesus did a lot of planning while in the wilderness for 40 days, He planned for the Last Supper, and He planned for the disciples to continue His mission after He was gone. Nor was He telling us to live without concern. Concern is a legitimate emotion that allows us to focus on a problem and resolve it. However, concern mostly requires a clear head to respond to a present need or problem. Worry is an unhealthy response to a future fear. We need not worry about being concerned, but we should be concerned about worrying. This leads us to understand and study the Scripture in Matthew where Jesus helps us better deal with worry.

                                                UNDERSTAND WORRY

When we define worry, which we have done, we can better understand it. As indicated previously Matthew 6:25-32 gives us several things that Jesus wants us to know. Let’s begin with verse 6:25, where we are taught that worry is inconsistent. This verse says, “Therefore I say to you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink; nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing.” Jesus was telling us, in effect: “Listen carefully, you who worry about necessities of life like food and clothing. The One on whom you are depending, is the One who has given you life. If He has created your very life, don’t you think He can care for the simple things that adorn your life? If your God has the power to create these marvelous organisms, we call our bodies. Isn’t it logical to believe He can provide clothes to put on our bodies, food to put in them, and shelter to put over them? Cannot the One who has done the greater also do the lesser?” (Quote from Dr. David Jeremiah) So, if we believe God is our Creator, we should also believe He is our Sustainer. Otherwise, we are inconsistent in our beliefs.

       Then in verse 6:26, Jesus says, “Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?” This verse continues the discussion of worry about material provisions. In this verse Jesus tells his followers not to be anxious about food, but to rely on God as the birds, who are worth far less than people, are fully provided for.

       This almost seems like an overly simple illustration. But what is the application? “Are you not of more value than they?” Are you not more important than a bird? The simplicity of it almost goes beyond us. So let me ask you, “Does not God provide for the birds?” “Yes”, you reply. “Are you more important than the birds?” “Yes”. Then the concluding question, “Do you think God will provide for you?” We could use the same illustration with our own children, because they are important to us just as we are important to God. I feed my dog every day. Do you think my children are more important than my dog? Do you think I will feed my dog and let my children go hungry? Are we not the children of God? Does God not love His children? Do you think God is going to feed the birds and let His children go hungry?

       I love these two verses because they teach both sides of the same truth. If God can do the greater (give us life). He can do the lesser (provide for our needs). And if He gladly does the lesser (caring for birds), will He not do the same for the greater (caring for me). Our Lord’s reasoning is logical and flawless.

       There is a little poem, written for little children in the 1800’s, that sometimes appears under the title “Overheard in an Orchard”. It brings our Lord’s point right down to where we live.

              Said the Robin to the Sparrow,

              “I should really like to know

              Why these anxious human beings

              Rush about and worry so”

              Said the Sparrow to the Robin,

              “Friend, I think that it must be

              That they have no Heavenly Father

              Such as cares for you and me”.

      The next point that Jesus makes is in verse 27: 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?”

       Worry accomplishes nothing. There are two possible translations for this illustration, because the same word can be translated two ways. The word “stature” is used both of height and length of time. It is used to describe Zaccheus who was short in stature, and it is also used to describe adding to one’s life span. A cubit is about eighteen inches. One possible interpretation for this verse is: If you worry, can you add eighteen inches to your height? Obviously not!

       It seems to me that the New American Standard Bible gives the better translation by referring to a “longer” life span. The question is more likely: Can you lengthen your life at all by worry? Medical experts tell us today that worry probably shortens our lives and causes all kinds of physical problems to develop. In speaking of adding a cubit to your life span, Jesus is mixing metaphors as we sometimes do. After a birthday, we sometimes say, “I’ve passed another milestone.” We have not really passed another milestone, because a milestone is a measure of distance. Can you add anything to your road of life by worrying? The basic statement Jesus is making is that worry accomplishes nothing.

       Anxiety is worthless! There is zero value in worry. It does nothing good for us. An average person’s anxiety is focused on: 40% – things that will never happen; 30% – things about the past that can’t be changed; 12% – things about criticism by others, mostly untrue; 10% – about health, which gets worse with stress; 8% – about real problems that will be faced.

        Then in Matthew 6:28-30 Jesus said: 28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?”

       Has there ever been a time when worry has served you well? When you’ve been so glad you spent energy conjuring up a potentially bad outcome…or plowing past better thoughts focused solely on your structured vision of security? Worry can actually weaken us, and yet, we worry still. Hoping all our hand-wringing and hard-working grow a shield of protection from life’s inevitable. God knows we’re made this way. Which is why Jesus teaches us how to handle worry when it comes.

       Freedom from worry is one of so many reasons he arrived in the flesh. He shepherds our anxious hearts. And he gave us these words about the splendor of flowers, so we can learn from them. His words are alive. When we read or repeat them, they can actually renew us. This verse in Matthew calls to me now because where I live, it’s almost blooming time. It has me recalling the many times God has spoken to me in the language of flowers. Or trees, mushrooms, birds, and butterflies. His message of resurrection and renewal is prevalent in all of creation. Waves that ebb and flow, the rhythm of sunrise and sunset, and the return of flowers—are all among many of his mind-blowing “object lessons.”

       God wants us to see not only their beauty, but their lack of worry. He describes it as laboring and spinning. It’s true that Jesus is acknowledging our basic need for clothes, but he is asking us to shed the layer of worry we spin (which was how they made clothing in ancient times). In verse 30, Jesus isn’t saying “don’t work and don’t get dressed.” He is asking us to take in the lesson of creation. To see how even the most fragile among us rely on God’s provision and are dressed in just the way that gives him glory. This is how he designed us to flourish…with a soul rooted in faith and at rest in his plan.

       Matthew 6:31-32 sums it up, saying: “31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them.”

       When we are tempted to worry, then, we should stop long enough to ask, “Who am I anyway? Am I a child of God or am I an unbeliever?” This is telling us to stop to think which may in that action, first of all, take our minds off of the worry. Then we are to think who we really are. This should lead us to put all of our attention on the Lord and at least some of our worry goes to the back of our minds.

        Then in verse 32 Jesus mentions that such anxiety might be natural for the Gentiles, who have no God that provides for them, or who believe in capricious or unpredictable gods. Barclay rephrases this verse as stating that anxiety is impious as it represents doubt in God. To adopt a heart of worry when we are faced with lack is to step into the realm of the unbeliever, for scripture reminds us that in the world system it is the unbelievers; the Gentiles; the pagans that fret over the basics of life and adopt an attitude of anxiety.

       It is a pagan mind-set that has overtaken society today – an intellectual perception which has eliminated the truth that God is our provider – a world view that has excluded God from the equation of life and adopted an attitude of self-sufficiency instead of God-sufficiency. It is when Christ has been placed at the center of our lives and we trust Him to be our all-sufficient savior that faith in Him matures. As trust in Him increases so worry and fear decline. When our heart is trusting Him in all things and Christ is in the center of our lives, we will find that anxiety has no place in our thinking and faith in His Word will increase, despite life’s circumstances, until we come to know Him as our all-sufficient provider as well as our all-sufficient savior.

                              OVERCOMING WORRY

   After defining worry and helping us to understand its nature, Jesus ends His emphasis

in Matthew 6 by telling us how to overcome it. He has a two-fold plan. This is the simplest and most affective antidote to worry ever prescribed. First, Jesus said, you must totally commit your life to Him. Verse 33 “33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Instead of worrying about food, drink, and clothing, Jesus commands us to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteous. Paul urges us to offer ourselves as a living-sacrifice to God. Put Christ first! Trust Him with your life, with all your needs, with the concerns of yesterday, today, and tomorrow. With all your heart, live for Him who is the same yesterday, today, and forever.

       Missionary Hudson Taylor said, “Let us give up our work, our thoughts, our plans, ourselves, our lives, our loved ones, our influence, our all, right into His hand, and then, when we have given all over to Him, there will be nothing left for us to be troubled bout, or to make trouble about”. As we seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, He promises to provide for all our needs, saying, “all these things shall be added to you”. This is the first part of our Lord’s plan, committing our work, our thoughts, our plans, ourselves- everything- totally to Jesus Christ.

          But there is a second step, which is found in the next verse, Matthew 6:34-       

“34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.” Having committed our lives to Him, we must concentrate our energies on living one day at a time. As Jesus said in verse 34 “Don’t worry about tomorrow- for sufficient for the day is its own trouble”. If verse 33 gives us the long view (committing the whole life to the Lord), verse 34 gives us the short view (living one day at a time for the Lord).

       The British pastor John Shott said it this way: “One day’s trouble is enough for one day or each day has troubles enough of its own. So why anticipate them? If we do, we double them. For if our fear does not materialize, we have worried once for nothing: if it does materialize, we have worried twice instead of once. In both cases it is foolish: worry doubles trouble.” You can be sure your heavenly Father has made provision for your tomorrow, for He has filled your life with tokens of His goodness and faithfulness today. Lamentations 3:23 reminds us that God’s compassions are new every morning. It is like saying: “Trust Me. I will care for you day by day, Seek Me first, and all these things will be added to you”. Don’t worry about yesterday’s sins, God has forgiven them. Don’t worry about yesterday’s successes, God has recorded them. Don’t worry about yesterday’s sorrows, God can heal them and point us forward. We’re to live life on a daily basis.

      Warren Wiersbe has written many books, one about Isaiah which I bought, read, and loved. I even used it for great material when I taught the Book of Isaiah on Wednesday nights for several weeks until the virus caused us to stop meeting. Mr. Wiersbe wrote about worries: “Most Christians are being crucified on a cross between two thieves: yesterday’s regrets and tomorrow’s worries.” It’s God‘s will that we focus our attention on the present, remembering that He promises to be with us at all times. Recall the Lord’s words at the burning bush in Exodus 3:14. When Moses asked God His name, the Lord replied, “I AM WHO I AM? God is the self-existent Creator who dwells in eternity, yet He is always present with us in the now. He is I AM, always “present tense: in our lives.

        What is the meaning of do not worry about tomorrow? This is why Jesus said in Matthew 6:34, “Don’t worry about tomorrow, because tomorrow will have its own worries. Each day has enough trouble of its own”. Remember there are two days you should never worry about: yesterday and tomorrow. You can’t live in the past.

        Those struggling with addiction, while in recovery, often cling to a set of guiding statements as they work to stay sober. A common mantra used in those situations is “one day at a time.” There’s no value in that person worrying about whether they will fall to temptation tomorrow. Their addiction must be fought today. Tomorrow’s fight will happen tomorrow. In overcoming addiction effectively, such people are taught to focus on winning today’s battles. This is compatible with the principles found in this command from Jesus. He tells His followers not to worry about tomorrow. As He has already said, worry doesn’t fix anything. Anxiety over things we cannot control, or out of our reach, makes no sense (Matthew 6:27). God loves us and already knows not only what He wants to accomplish, but what we need to make that happen (Matthew 6:33).
       Jesus says, in short, that born-again believers ought to let tomorrow worry about itself. He’s not saying Christians cannot or should not make wise plans. Nor is He saying believers ought to literally ignore anything but the most immediate questions. His context here is about the emotions of fear and anxiety. Those who trust in God shouldn’t allow wallow in useless worry over the future. Tomorrow’s fight will happen tomorrow. The battle to trust God is always happening in the current moment. Today has plenty of trouble with which we need to trust God. Jesus commands His followers to focus on trust for God in a moment-by-moment way. We shouldn’t try to solve all our problems, for all time, all at once. Let God provide what is needed day by day. Peace is God’s supernatural gift for our hearts. He will pilot your life. He will bear the load and grant you peace as you totally commit yourself to Him and live one day for Him.

        (Thanks to Dr. David Jeremiah and the Holy Spirit)

CAN YOU BE SURE OF YOUR SALVATION?

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The first question is not: How can I be sure of my salvation? Your first question needs to be: Am I saved? What does it mean to be saved? It means to spend eternity in Heaven with God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The other choice is to spend eternity in Hell, being punished constantly. Not really a good choice, is it? So, let’s deal with the real question first- How to become a true believer in Jesus and be a Christian for eternity? To be an eternal Christian one must confess their sin, believe that Jesus died for their sin, give their life to serve Jesus and God, believe that Jesus rose from the dead and lives now with God in Heaven and then to pray to God to receive His Grace as a gift. There is nothing you can do to earn your salvation. It is totally a gift given to you by our Creator- God.

            Having confessing Jesus as your Savior, you now can ask the other question about being sure of your salvation. Here are a few of those question: Am I going to Heaven? Can I know for certain that when I die, I’ll be with the Lord? Is there any way to be sure I’m really a Christian? Can we be assured? Many have been in church all their lives. Some have had a faith experience when they were a small child, but over the years doubts have crept into their hearts and they have begun questioning the reality of their salvation. To amazement, most of those who asked these questions were church going people. Bill Bright, founder of Campus Crusade for Christ, observed, “My experience in counseling thousands of students and laymen through the years since I met Christ personally ha convinced me that there are literally tens of thousands of good, faithful church-goers who have received Christ in prayer, but who are not sure of their salvation”. Mr. Bright is NOT saying that most or many of these people are not saved. He is saying they are just not sure of their salvation.

        Perhaps during their Christian experience, they’ve allowed some sin to root in their lives and now they doubt if they were ever saved in the first place. Some have gotten away from a close relationship with God. Others experience doubts while going through difficult periods of life. There are times when a person’s doubt may be traced to a false teaching they have heard on radio or on television, or from a “friend”.  Many Christians are saved in childhood or many, many years ago, but can’t remember the date or occasion.  When our bodies are sick, sometimes our souls catch the disease. It is easy to become disillusioned when our dreams are dashed, our families or our finances are in crisis, or our spirits are low. Do you ever feel that way or in a way like that? If you ask them if they are going to heaven, their answer will likely be something like, “I certainly hope so”.

            Tony Evans, who our men are doing his study “No More Excuses”, observes, “A great spiritual malady permeates the church of Jesus Christ today. If I were to give it a name, I would call it ADD: Assurance Deficit Disorder”. When a person has ADD, it is almost impossible to live the Christian life as vigorously as we should. We have a difficult time praying. We seldom witness. If we are not sure of our salvation, why would we want to share it with anyone else?

On this case sermons may make you feel worse, not better. The peace of God, so richly promised in the Bible, doesn’t seem at home in your heart.

            Well, I can tell you as plainly as I can that you can know you are saved, for sure, for certainly; you can have security. You can have absolute confidence in your eternal hope. The Bible tells us can be certain of our relationship with God and our heavenly home. We can be persuaded. Near the end of his life, the apostle Paul used the word persuaded again when he wrote, “For this reason I also suffer these things; nevertheless, I am not ashamed, for I know whom I believed and persuaded that He is able to keep what I committed to Him until that Day? (2 Timothy 1:12) We can live beyond the needling torment of doubt. Assurance of salvation is not only possible, it is what God longs for us to posses in our minds and hearts. He does not want His children (all believers) to live in insecurity, uncertainly, or uneasiness about His love for us or His ability to keep us to the end. We can know what we believe, for we can know Whom we have believed.

            The words assure, assuredly, and assurance are basic terms in the New Testament’s vocabulary. Here are some verses that use these words.

      Jesus said to (the thief on the cross), “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise”- Luke 23:43

      “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who hears My word and believes in Him who sent Me has everlasting life, and shall not come into judgment, but has passed from death into life”. John 5:24   

       “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me has everlasting life.” John 6:47

        “For our gospel did not come to you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Spirit and in mu h assurance.”  

         “Continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of.” 2 Timothy 3”14

         “We desire that each one of you show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope until the end.” Hebrews 6:11

            “Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith.” Hebrews 10:22

            “By this we know that we are of the truth and shall assure our hearts before Him.” 1 John 3:19.

            The Bible uses terms like persuaded, assurance, and knowing, so we can be persuaded, we can have assurance, and we can know for sure. It has been quoted (unknown author), “God wants us to have a “know-so” salvation. Figuratively speaking, He does not want us to be a question mark, all bent over with our head hung low. Rather, He wants us to be an exclamation mark, standing erect with head held high, strengthened by a God-produced confidence in our faith with Him.”        While the entire Bible stresses certainty assurance, there is one section of Scripture that stresses this theme as its central theme- the letter of 1 John. The Gospel of John and 1 John both end with similar statements, giving their respective thesis statements or declarations of purpose.

  1. The Gospel of John was written “that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that believing you may have life in His name” (John 20:31)
  2. The book of 1 John ends by saying “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, that you may know that you have eternal life.” (1 John 5:13)

The Gospel of John was written so we can believe and have life. The letter of 1 John was written that those of us who believe can know we have eternal life. The key word is “know”. As Steven Lawson wrote, “The greatest thing in all the world is to be saved. The second is closely related. It is to be absolutely sure that you are saved.”

            Apparently, there were some in John’s day who read his Gospel and trusted Christ as their Savior, but they still harbored lingering doubts about their eternal destination. That is one of the reasons John wrote his first epistle, 1 John, to show those who believed in Christ that they could know they were saved. As we read through 1 John, we notice a five-fold argument for assurance of salvation. Five times in 1 John we see the phrases “born of God” and “begotten of God”. On each of these occasions, we have a different piece of evidence to reassure us of our hope. Every time Joh uses a phrase about new birth, he gave us another test to prove our salvation. These are five of the birthmarks of the Christian.

                   THE BIRTHMARK OF CONFESSION   (1 John 5:1)

“Whoever believes that Jesus is the Christ is born of God”. Before you can have assurance of salvation, you have to believe and be saved. You have to confess Jesus Christ as Lord. That is the key- you must confess Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. In John 3, Jesus said to Nicodemus, “You must be born again”. We are born again when we repent of our sins, trust Jesus Christ to save us, and confess Him as Lord of our lives. Romans 10:9 says, “If you confess with your mouth the Lord Jesus and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved”. This verse does not say “you might be saved” it says emphatically, you will be saved. We are saved by God’s grace through faith; it’s not of our good works but of Christ’s eternal work on the cross. As stated earlier, Jesus said in John 5:24 all who believe in Jesus will assuredly have everlasting life. Additionally, we have the witness of the Holy Spirit in our hearts. Romans 8:16 says, “The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God”.

                            THE BIRTHMARK OF CHANGE   1 John 2:29

The second birthmark is a changed life, as seen in 1 John 2:9, “Everyone who practices righteousness is born of Him”. When Jesus truly saves us, it makes a difference in how we think, act, speak, and conduct ourselves. The Bible states, “If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17) As we begin learning to practice righteousness, our habits change. Many times, the changes are dramatic, but there are always changes.

We will not be sinlessly perfect while we’re on this planet; but if we’re Christians, we need to behave like Christians. If we say we’re saved but nothing has changed about us, something is wrong.  We are not saved by good works, but we are saved for good works, and the Gospel is a transforming agent in our lives.  In John’s epistle he was saying, “Do you want to be sure that you have been born again? Take the brief test- what do you believe? And take the behavior test-has your life changed as the result of your belief?”

                              THE BIRTHMARK OF COMPASSION   1 John 4:7

Those who are truly saved also bear the birthmark of compassion. How can we know you are a Christian and saved? It is by what we believe, by how we live, and by whom we love. Love is the reoccurring theme in 1 John, and the apostle leaves no doubt about how it permeates the lives of true believers in Christ. John wrote, “Beloved, let us love one another, for love is of God, and everyone who loves is born of God of God and knows God…We know that we passed from death to life, because we love the brethren” (1 John4:7) We know we are saved by our love for our brothers and sisters in Christ. The early Christians say they love one another and are ready even to die for one another. There is a popular hymn that says the same type of thing- “They know we are Christians by our love.”

      The epistle of John contains some of the richest words ever written. The word love occurs 26 times in this letter, as we read verses like, “He who loves his brother abides in the light…Behold what manner of love the Father has bestowed on us, that we should be called children of God!…For this is the message that you heard from the beginning that we should love one another…He who does not love his brother abides in death…By this we know love, because He laid down His life for us…Whoever has this world’s goods and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in Him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth…Love one another…Let us love one another, for love is of God…God is love,,.This is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us…If we love one another, God abides in us.”

            This is the “brother” test. Do you love your brothers and sisters in the family of God? Those who are truly saved are those who enjoy and bless the household of faith, the family of God.

                                      THE BIRTHMARK OF CONFLICT   1 John 5:4

A fourth sign of being truly being saved is conflict. According to 1 John 5:4, “Whatever is born of God overcomes the world. And this is the victory that has overcome the world- our faith’. The word “overcome” implies a struggle. We are faced with an adversary whom we must overcome. Our adversary is identified in 1 John 2:14: “I have written to you , young men, because you are strong, and the word of God abides in you, and you have to overcome the wicked one.” This is Satan! When you genuinely born of God, you’ll be growing to be an overcomer as you deal with the temptations around you- the world. You make progress in gaining more victories and losing less battles as you grow stronger in Christ and in the power of the abiding Word of God. Romans 8:37 says, “In all things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us”. And in 1 Corinthians 2:14 says, “Now thanks be to God who always lead us in triumph in Christ”. We can claim those promises as our own in struggle against temptation. We have His help. His commands are promises in reverse, for every command comes with His enabling strength to obey it.

The Birthright of Conduct 1 John 5:18

The final point is we can see evidence for the validity of salvation in our desire to conduct ourselves in a way that pleases God. According to 1 John 3:9: “Whoever has been born of God does not sin, for His seed remains in him; and he cannot sin; because he has been born of God”. The point is repeated in 1 John 5:18: “We know that whoever is born of God does not sin, but he who has been born of God keeps himself, and the wicked one does not touch him.” This does not say that anyone who is born of God never sins. James 3:2 , “We all stumble in many things”.

What then did John mean. In using the word sin in these passages above, John was talking about ongoing rebellion against the laws of God. In 1 John 3:4: “Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness.” John was concerned about ongoing conscious and intentional violations of God’s laws. He was talking about a lifestyle of rebellion. Each day we all sin, omitting things we should do and committing things that we should not do and displaying wrong attitudes. When we sin and become aware or our sin, we come to the throne of grace in confession, asking God to forgive us as we forsake our sins. John made this clear when he wrote “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is exactly what King David did every time to earn him the praise from God of a “man after My own heart”. When we are truly born of God, we have God’s seed in us and we inherit His nature, which is in direct conflict with all sin. With God’s seed in us we will never become comfortable with sinning.

His grace is inexhaustible and His salvation is irreversible. So, make sure you have confessed Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and then trust Him with your eternal future. He will never leave you or forsake you. He will never drop you from His Book of Life and He will never turn His back on your need. Nothing can separate you from His love, and of that you can fully be persuaded (John 10:28-29). His word was given that you might know Jesus Christ as your Savior and that you might know that you have eternal life. You can have this assurance because of your conduct everyday. This includes ongoing obedience to all of God’s laws and Jesus’ commands.

GOD’S TIMING- IS IT YOUR’S?

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There is a pointed story about God’s timing. It seems there was a young man who asked God if His second of time is like a million years to us? God’s reply was a simple- Yes! Then the young man asked God if a penny to Him was really like a Million dollars to us? Again, God’s answer was a straight-forward- Yes! So, the young man thought a moment, then he asked God if he (the young man) could get a penny from God? God’s answer this time was a few more words. God said that the young man could have one of His pennies in one of His seconds.

       It seems clear that to understand God’s timing- no matter when we make that attempt- we must know His timing is different than ours. This says we may always expect something from God that does not fit our schedule. So, does this mean when we pray for something, we will never know when God’s answer will come? Our timing is never God’s timing, and God’s timing is never early and it’s never late. Patience comes when we learn to trust God. God’s Word provides nearly 3,000 promises. Promises that we can claim, and that we can stand on, and that our timing is never God’s timing.  Which has nothing to do with whether we will get an answer to our prayers- if ever. First of all, I believe God will always answer our prayers we just don’t know how or when. Secondly, God will answer all of our prayers to fit His Will-not ours. Regardless of God’s timing, this tells us to always seek His Will with our requests to God. To know how to pray in God’s Will is another subject for another time although you may get things out of God’s Will without really knowing how to pray in God’s Will. But let us go to back to try understanding His timing.

      “God loves you and promises to answer the needs of your prayers. But that does not meet He will give you everything you want when you want it. If He did give you everything you wanted when you wanted it, after a while God would become second place in your life and what you got would become most important- not God. Also, He does not do those things for the simple reason is that somethings we ask for are not in His Will. If it is not good for us, He is not going to give it to us.” (Dr. Charles Stanley) Is it possible to get some things that are not in God’s Will? Yes, you may be able to do something to get the thing or things that are not in God’s Will but there can be consequences. However, the issue is not that God doesn’t want you to have these things; it may be that the timing is not right. God knows when you and I are ready for a particular blessing that we desire maybe with all of our heart and our desired timing is just not the best time. We may not be ready for it, or it would cause more concern for us at the time we want it. Timing is extremely important to God. This gets back to the real issue of this writing- What is God’s timing and how do we know it!!

       God knows your life from beginning to end. God has His own schedule. What we desire may be just the thing that God wants for us, but it needs to wait for something to happen first. He knows exactly where you are at any moment, and He knows exactly where you are going to be cause knows when you will best be ready for that big desire you have. So, to give you your desire when you are not ready for it would not be an act of love on His part.  Many times, it is our unwillingness to wait for the best timing that gets us into trouble, causes great confusion and/or the loss of God’s best blessings in our life. There is a powerful verse of scripture in Isaiah that talks about waiting for God’s timing. Isaiah 64:4: “Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.” This means that God is a personal God. He knows every one of us and everything about us because He is omniscient (knows everything always). God acts in our behalf because He is willing to become involved in every aspect of our life. So, acting in my behalf, He will bring about those things that are good for me. He will act in such a way to bring about His Will and purpose. As long as we are one of His children (believing totally in Him, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit) He will be there to give us guidance and direction that will not fail. If we are willing to wait on Him, I will be willing to receive God’s best for me at the right time.

       When we are comforted with these situations of wanting and seeking God’s timing, we have three choices.

     1. We can attempt to manipulate the circumstances and that is an attempt to do the same with God. This means we try to go around things and work all kinds of deals to get the timing we want. Maybe it is using a credit card to get that desire well beyond your means. This also gets you into spiritual debt. This really is disobedience to God and there are consequences that are likely to cause many more problems than we even perceive. So, when we act in this manner, we have unforeseen problems and now God may never want to give us that blessing at all- ever. This is totally unnecessary! God wants you to be free and not in spiritual debt and to provide you what you need.

     2. You can say that since God did not answer my prayers, I will just quit and walk away from God. Maybe it is about a job or opportunity that your prayer is not being answered in the time you feel it needed to or you are not getting the answer you wanted in the timing you wanted. You could just forget that opportunity forever, but it is one that God had prepared for you in His timing. Some of the best things in life we may need to wait the longest for. If we are the type of person who feels that we must have this thing in our timing or it is just not worth the wait, we are likely to miss out on God’s greatest blessings.

     3. I can wait, and watch God work in my behalf. Give God a chance and watch what He does. Given time, God knows exactly what He is doing. We just need to watch and wait to see the marvelous things He can and will do. God knows your situation and how you got there. He knows how to change circumstances, if needed, to do it the best way for your situation. To do it His way!!! Then you will be in a position to get the best option available that you may not even knew of its existence if you had done it on your own. Then you can give God the thanks for it.  

       We must not be in a hurray and always want to just move, move, move. That is no way to live a godly life. So, what are the requirements for waiting on God’s timing?

  1. Trust- if we don’t trust Him, we will not obey Him. Sing the hymn “Trust and Obey” for there is no other way! We must trust if we want God’s best. God doesn’t say we will always like it, He doesn’t say we will always understand, He doesn’t say we will not prefer another way, but He needs to do it His way- even if He says NO! This is true no matter what you have been through or are now going through. Because He loves you perfectly and unconditionally. He is the same awesome God no mater where you are in your journey.
  2. Humility- If you don’t trust Him, we are saying I know better than God. What we know is like one grain of sand compared to all the grains of sand in the world. We must not think we know a lot and of course, nowhere near what God knows. To think more highly of one’s knowledge is pride. We must have a humble spirit. That is not a weak spirit but one that looks to God for knowledge – like Solomon, for faith and obedience like Joseph and Abraham, for dedication like David, for always giving the Good News like Paul, but mostly for redemption, forgiveness, and love like Jesus.
  3. Patience- we must wait for God in all things. Don’t be in a hurray to go our own way- always go God’s way. Wait for further direction from God. Often Job is used as an example of patience. Here is where the longer waits could be needed, and patience is required. Must ask yourself: Is what I am waiting for worth the wait? No one can tell you that but you. A suggestion is to go to God in prayer for that answer. It could come very quickly while you wait. At least you are seeking further help from God. If the ultimate thing for which you are waiting has high value to you and to God, He will provide His answer- just be patient. Because God will provide exactly what He has in mind for you and it will be something that blesses you even more than you originally thought.
  4. Courage- It takes courage to wait for God. A. The temptation to follow your schedule versus God’s must be avoided. B. We must avoid the temptation of the pressure from others. C. Void the temptation to be afraid because God is with you. God knows how to defend you.

       We have a choice. We can do it your way or wait for God’s perfect timing. Consequences of doing it our way by failing to wait. 1. We step out of the will of God. We lose God’s direction and blessings. It is a rebellion against God. 2. It will delay His blessings. It may even forbid forever His blessing. 3. We bring pain and suffering upon ourselves. There are several cases in the Bible where people brought pain and suffering upon themselves when God tried to prevent them. 4. It causes confusion. When we try it on our own, we mess up the situation and causes confusion for all involved not just you. Many times, the situation is now uncorrectable. 5. We cause heartache and suffering for others. It can be a big stumbling block for others even in becoming a Christian.

        We need to follow God in all things and seek His Will in all things. We need to rely on the Holy Spirit who walks with us daily. It needs to be our heart’s desire to obey God, that you try to follow Him, you try to listen to Him and not make decisions without talking to Him and pray this prayer: “God speak to my heart, help me to listen to you and to know the truth.” God will listen to that short simple prayer, if you are a true believer in Christ and have asked for forgiveness of your sins. If we believe in Go”, we will obey Him in all things.

      What should we expect if we wait on God’s timing?

  1. He will express His goodness toward us. Lamentations 3:25-26: The Lord is good to the person who seeks (waits for) Him. It is good that he waits silently for the salvation of the Lord.  
  2.   He will answer our prayers. Psalm 40:1-3: I waited patiently for the Lord, and He inclined to me and heard my cry. And brought me up out of the pit of destruction, out of miry clay, and He set my feet upon a rock making my footsteps firm. He put a new song in my mouth, a song of praise to our God; Many will see and fear and will trust in the Lord.
  3. We will see the fulfillment of our faith. Isaiah 49:23: Those who hopefully wait for me will not be put to shame. God takes our mistakes and turns them around.
  4. He will enable us to win over the struggles of life. Psalm 37:9: For evildoers will be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord, they will inherit the land. Palm 37:34: Wait for the Lord and keep His way, and He will exalt you inherit the land.
  5. He will give us peace. Philippians 4:4-7: Rejoice in the Lord always again I will say, rejoice! Let your gentle spirit be known to all men, the Lord is nearby. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.

   Trust and obey Him. The awesome loving Father will work for you and act in your

    behalf personally.

                        Thanks to Dr. Charles Stanley and the Holy Spirit

        Other Top Bible Verses about God’s Timing in Scripture

    John 6:54: “Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will   

          raise them up at the last day.”

      John 8:32: “Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.”

      Isaiah 40:31: “But those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. They shall

           mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall

           walk and not faint.

      Habakkuk 2:3 “For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak,  

          and not lie, though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not    

          tarry.”

      Ecclesiastes 3:1 “A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time  

          to speak; A time to love, and a time to hate; A time of war, and a time of peace.”

WHY DO CHRISTIANS SUFFER

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Suffering as a Christian is really a good sign. Why do I say that? First of all, we are true believers in Christ. Then that suffering likely proves we are people who follow Jesus because He said if we are His worshipper, we will suffer for Him as He did. We who have been called to this great purpose of conformity to the image of Christ will for that reason also be called to suffer with Christ. If we want to know him and the power of his resurrection, then we will need to share in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death (Phil. 3:10). Not that our death in any way is redemptive. Only Christ’s death can save. But yet, if anyone is in Christ, then that person has glory and hardship in store (Rom. 8:17). We are often caught off guard by our sufferings, as though we ought to be exempt. We reason that since we are not condemned, then why should we continue to pay any price?

        We hardly have all the answers for the mystery of suffering, especially the suffering of Christians. Ultimately, only God can have reasons for the evil in this world and the pain inflicted on its inhabitants. We do know that the immediate responsibility for evil is ours, not God’s. But we wonder why believers who are acquitted from the responsibility still must receive the consequences deserved by sinners. The Bible explains that suffering has a number of purposes connected with sanctification. One of them is the purification of our faith. As gold is refined by fire, Peter tells us, so our faith is perfected by hardship and trials, so that it will result in praise and glory and honor on the last day (1 Peter 1:7; Rev. 2:10; 3:10). Such an approach is corroborated in our experience. When we suffer, we begin to know what matters and trust only the things that last. We make fewer investments in the transitory and ephemeral. Suffering helps us because it enables us to endure and gives us character (Rom. 5:4). Moreover, it strengthens our hope, the kind of hope that will never be shamed in the final outcome (Rom. 5:5). For this reason,, we can be glad for the pain that God allows us to endure. Not because there is anything good in itself about pain. Nothing could be further from Christian faith than the adages “Joy through pain” and “No pain, no gain.”

 The central reason for Christian suffering is fellowship with Christ.

        The central reason for Christian suffering is fellowship with Christ. We should not be surprised at the trials that come our way but glad that they mean we are communing with Christ’s sufferings (1 Peter 4:12). It can even be said that we fill up what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions (Col. 1:24). It is easy to misunderstand such statements to mean we are somehow continuing the unfinished business of Christ’s passion. The idea is blasphemous. Christ’s suffering was once and for all (Col. 2:14; John 19:30; Heb. 9:26; 10:11–14). That is, the atoning value of his work on earth, culminating on the cross is sufficient and accomplished. Flagellants and others who believe they are participating in the atonement by their self-inflicted pain are far off the mark. However, not all suffering is for atonement. The afflictions of Christ while on earth did not extend forward to include every hardship endured by his people. When we suffer, it is for his sake (Mark 13:13). When Christians are persecuted, it is Christ who is the object (Acts 9:4–5). Although attacks on Christ during his lifetime brought complete satisfaction to God, his enemies were not yet satisfied. And so, they continue to attack him by attacking the church. His afflictions are now received by us.

        Human experience is vast and varied, but few things exist as a universal experience like suffering. The pains and problems vary from person to person, but we all suffer. This fact leads to the common question: why does God allow suffering? Given this constant part of life, the wise person should seek to understand heartaches and how to react to suffering when it arrives.of the most common responses is bitterness — a deep resentment for the pain we all go through. While suffering can undoubtedly sow the seeds of bitterness and resentment, that is not how Christians should respond to it. Instead, we are called to see suffering as a part of life meant to dissatisfy us with the present fallen world and to instill in us a longing for eternity. To unpack this idea, consider the three main aspects of suffering:

         Suffering as a Consequence of Sin

The first truth about suffering is the recognition that it is alien to God’s plan of life. That might sound incredible, but to the Christian worldview, it is vital. Suffering is a product of the fall, a consequence of human sin against God Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken world. Some suffering is due to our sinful and wrong choices, but some is due simply to the world being fallen. This aspect of suffering should drive us to long for a better world, a world redeemed and freed from sin, a world that God will one day come again to establish (Romans 8:19-23). Christians sensitive to sin is a major reason for our suffering.

       Suffering is a product of the fall, a consequence of human sin against God (Romans 5:1)

       (1 Corinthians 15:21). Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken world. Some suffering is due to our sinful and wrong choices, but some is due simply to the world being fallen.

         Suffering as a Tool of Sanctification

Nothing is so broken as to be unusable by God. Although suffering is alien to His goal for humanity, God uses it now as part of our development as people. Nothing forces a person to confront their true self like suffering. Suffering causes our focus to turn inward, to face those parts of ourselves we might otherwise ignore. God can use suffering then to develop us into better people: the people who can love and enjoy Him forever. Due to Christians’ expectation for something better causes some of our suffering.

       3 Not only so, but wealso glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. (Romans 5:3-5)

        2 Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters,[a] whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3 because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. 4 Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. (James 1:2-4)

          Suffering as a Test of Faith

Finally, suffering is the crucible by which we find our center and demonstrate the truth of our faith to the world. In times of intense pain or turmoil, we cling to what we have placed our hope in. In this way, suffering reveals whether our faith is a mere childish hope or a factual reality. Here we see suffering as a call to live out a better and more faithful witness to the world. Like the prophet Habakkuk, suffering calls us to declare to those around us, “yet I will rejoice in the Lord; I will take joy in the God of my salvation” (Habakkuk 3:1belief8). As we develop an understanding of how to approach suffering, we must be clear that suffering never becomes good. Suffering remains evil. What must be understood though, is that suffering can be redeemed; it can be made purposeful. When we are burdened beyond our strength, we must not become bitter but instead allow our faith to make us better. For the Christian, we must see suffering as a trifold call to long for a better world, to seek to become a better person and to live out a better witness. Simply due to our belief in Jesus and our faith, Christians will be persecuted.

        Suffering is a product of the fall, a consequence of human sin against God (Romans 5:1)

       1 Corinthians 15:21). Suffering is in our lives because we are living in a broken world. Some suffering is due to our sinful and wrong choices, but some is due simply to the world being fallen.

                                          Glory as the Ultimate End

       The whole creation groans with pain (Rom. 8:22). This sorrowful, broken world was subjected to futility by the same God who cursed the human race for its disobedience. And we suffer and groan along with it (vv. 20–23). Romanticism about nature, nostalgic views, and utopian views about the beauty of the creation do not coincide with the reality of world history. But world history does not end with death and futility. It ends with the freedom of the glory of the children of God (v. 21). In fact, the whole creation will come to glory with us. The end is so unspeakably beautiful that our present sufferings are not worthy to compare with the glory to come (v. 18). Physical death no longer has that dreaded finality it once had. Death is now the gateway to full communion with the Lord. “For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life appears, then you also will appear with him in glory” (Col. 3:3–4).

       Jesus told us problems would come our way. At the end of His Upper Room Discourse on the eve of His crucifixion, our Lord’s final words were, “In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). We are encouraged by one of the Bible’s great stories of tribulation and triumph, the story of the Old Testament hero Joseph. Much of Genesis is devoted to Joseph’s story, and God gave us Joseph’s example as an encouragement amid the problems of life. Joseph went through his problems to save his family, save thousands of people, and to save the people of Israel. Joseph’s example gives us a great method of looking at our problems. God allows or gives us problems to provide a way to help others and to possibly share a way to offer us a real blessing. God may put us in a difficult place to help us or even to provide a glorious circumstance. We know problems are not pretty and they are not fun. However, without the problem or burden, we may miss out on a real blessing from God. We must be biblical in facing our problems, and the Bible takes a more hopeful attitude than our emotions may feel. The following are some commentaries on the question of problems.

          Predictors- They will mold our future.

          Reminders- We are not self-sufficient. We need God and others to help us.

          Opportunities- They pull us out of our rut and cause us to think creatively.

          Blessings- They open up doors that we usually do not go through.

          Lessons- Each new challenge will be our teacher.

          Everywhere- No place or person is excluded from them.

          Messages- They warn us about potential disaster.

          Solvable- No problem is without a solution.

So, the questions may be: Are you discouraged now waiting for good news that hasn’t come? Have you felt anything that is a reminder that there you sick? Maybe your problems have been prolonged and chronic and crippling to your spirit. As a true Christians none of this is random. God has not forgotten or forsaken a true believer just like He did not forsake Joseph. This story reminds us that there are advantages in our difficulties and providence in our problems. God does not trivialize our problems, but He does “truthalize” them. It allows us to begin looking at problems from a different perspective. This leads to list and talk about five suggestions as to why Christians have so many problems.

                 PROBLEMS PROVIDE GREATER OPPORTUNITIES

First, problems provide some opportunities that may only come due to the problem. In Joseph’s life story we are struck at how God converted Joseph’s problems into potentials. Missionary and author Isobel Kuhn wrote an account of her life, titled IN THE ARENA, based on the concept that difficulties are God’s way of providing an arena for our witness. “God taught me through the years to view my own trials as platforms in today’s Arena,” she wrote. “I thought this concept was original with me, but one day my husband found that Hudson Taylor had formed the same opinion many years ago. He said: Difficulties afford a platform upon which He can show Himself” (where Himself is God). As God’s children we need to learn how to look for platforms in our problems, Sometimes, our “prisons” are “pulpits”. Of course, for most of us, the prison experience is not literal. The key is looking around in any given set of circumstances to see God is using them to open a door for us. My recent cancer surgery and treatments immediately provided for two significant blessing. During my 21 weeks of chemo treatments, I was able to witness to 79 people at the lab and to finish writing and getting my first book published.

                       PROBLEMS PROMOTE SPIRITUAL MATURITY

Second, the story of Joseph also teaches that problems promote spiritual growth and maturity. There doesn’t seem that there is another Bible character who experienced worst treatment than Joseph, apart from Jesus Himself. To fulfill the role God intended for him, Joseph needed grit, backbone, and dogged resolution; and those muscles only develop in the gymnasiums of life. Sometimes the Lord has to toughen us up. Before Joseph could become Prime Minister of Egypt. He needed fortitude and faith in God’s sovereignty. Psalm 105:17-18 says: “He (God) sent a man before them- Joseph- who was sold as a slave. They hurt his feet with fetters, he was laid in irons”. When Joseph came out of prison, he was an iron-souled man. He was a man of great wisdom, courage, and determination. Due to his faith in God and God’s leading, Joseph ascended to great spiritual maturity. This is our example to also gain spiritual maturity. God needs “Iron-souled saints” today, and only way iron gets into our soul is through suffering. When we hurt and endure problems something changes in our hearts as we become more spiritually mature. Peter told his readers, “Though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials, that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes, though it is tested by fire, may be found to praise, honor, and glory at the revelation of Jesus Christ” (1 Peter 1:6-7).

                             PROBLEMS PROVE INTEGRITY

Third, our integrity is enhanced and proven due to problems we encounter. Our character if genuine, is never altered by circumstances. As we learn in the Joseph story and several other Bible stories, Joseph was a man of great character, and every problem provided another opportunity to deepen and demonstrate the sterling nature of his integrity. Nothing so exemplifies our character as how we face difficulties. Character is often confused for reputation but there is a vast different. Reputation is what others suppose we are; character is what we really are. Reputation is what those around you think of you; character is what God knows you to be. Reputation is what is chiseled on your tombstone; character is what the angels say about you before the throne of God. Character never changes with the circumstances; it is simply deepened by difficulties. Our backgrounds or circumstances may try to pull us downward, but we have the ability to choose our own convictions. Our situations reveal the way we truly are. When we face the difficulties of life, it is a wonderful opportunity for God to use us to demonstrate the reality and the integrity of our character before others.

                     PROBLEMS PRODUCE A SENSE OF DEPENDENCY

Fourth, problems produce a sense of dependency on our faith in God. They drive us to the Lord and teach us to lean on Him. Joseph depended on God and God was with him every step of his life. Joseph’s faith was solid, and it guided him through all of his problems. William Griffith Thomas, the Anglican cleric and scholar, wrote about this in his devotional commentary: “The secret of Joseph’s power was the consciousness of the presence of God. God had not forgotten him, though it might have seemed to him that it was the case. The very incident that was apparently the most injurious was the link used by God to bring about Joseph’s exaltation. To the man who is sure that he is in the pathway of God’s will. There will come the consciousness of divine presence and blessing, which will be an unspeakable comfort as he rests in the Lord and waits patiently for him. Evil may have temporary victories, but they are only temporary. Good, and right, and truth, must prevail, and it is for the servants of God to wait quietly, to go forward humbly, to live faithfully; and to trust boldly, until God shall justify them by His divine interposition, and glorify His grace in their lives”. Joseph found out how much God loved him, and Thomas’ quote helps us to understand this. It is during the crisis of life that we make a spiritual dependency on the Lord. One of the main ways this occurs is in a personal encounter with God when we live through problems.

                    PROBLEMS PREPARE OUR HEARTS FOR MINISTRY

Fifth, problems can prepare our heart and mind for ministry. In Joseph’s case, you might say that prison was God’s seminary to train him in skills he would need later to lead the nation of Egypt. By the time Joseph was thirty, he understood that leadership was in serving others. Joseph could have wrapped himself in the cloak of self-pity, but here he was seeking to serve others. He put aside sorrow and self-indulgence to help those in prison, and then he dedicated himself to help thousands. As Paul said in 2 Corinthians 1:4; we are able to comfort others with the same comfort we ourselves have received from God. When thrown into difficulties of life, it makes us especially sensitive to others who have similar difficulties or parallel problems. Those who have found the grace of God in the middle of some catastrophic event, are often called upon to share this grace with others and provide ministry to them. Many ministries have been launched in this way. Suffering brings about a heart for ministry. We are able to put our arms bereavement if we have also experienced like circumstances. My ability to understand and comfort those battling cancer was totally different after I faced this terrible disease. One pastor explained it this way: “Brokenness precedes usefulness”, when you have to reach out to parents who have lost children under any circumstance. If we were to take a survey of people in ministry, you can about guarantee they have gone through some sort of painful experience. So, sometimes God wants to prepare us to help someone else who is going through problems.

       Most of us want the crown (reward in Heaven), but not the Cross; Easter but not Good Friday; the gain, but not the pain. But that is not the way it works, and that doesn’t seem to represent the ways of God. In our lives individually, and in our families, and in our churches, God can take our problem and make us better- if only we cooperate. Think of Jesus beside you and lean on Him. Exchange your problems for His peace and let Him infuse your soul with strength and His steel. 

WHAT IS FAITH?

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Many of us believe we know what Faith is, but let’s learn how faith is acquired and demonstrated in the life of a Christian. It is not tangible, but it is real and life changing. Of course, there are those who believe good works are best. The dictionary defines faith as “complete trust or confidence in someone or something”. One definition of faith from the Bible is “strong belief in God or in the doctrines of a religion, based on spiritual apprehension rather than proof.” Both of these definitions, while offering some good thoughts, do not really give us what we as Christians find complete. Remember the man in the Bible who cried out “Help my unbelief”. Many times, we also may want to cry out those words. The question may be- “How do we know we have believed enough?” When eternity is at stake or in a crisis where do we go to believe & also how best to pursue it.

       There is a story of a man trying to fix his TV antenna on a slanted slate roof who needed to turn his antenna in the day when this needed to be done to watch a football game, or something, either later in the day or to get a station that is in a different direction than normal. In a hurry he lost his grip and began to slide down the roof. As he was slipping, he grabbed the edge of the roof. Slipping down the roof, the man caught himself by his fingers. He found himself hanging on three stories up. In desperation he looked down and cried- “Can any one down there help me?” No answer was heard! Finally, in desperation he looked up and yelled- “Is there anyone up there who can help?” Then out of the heavens came a deep resonate voice- “Believe and Let Go”. After a minute of thought the man cried out- “Is there anyone else up there who can help me?” This story illustrates that most people are willing to try most anything – but Faith!

       It is evident that in our world the word faith has fallen on hard times. Faith has become something that seems ignored. Hebrews 11:1 says- “Now Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Also in Hebrews 3:2 it tells us how faithful Jesus is– “He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God’s house.” By faith.  on earth operates by faith every day and in everything we do. Trust and faith aren’t simply Christian affairs. Faith and trust are a part of our lives from the moment we’re born. Everyone leads a faith-based life, and if someone ever ridicules you for a being a “person of faith”, when they point a finger at you there are three fingers points back at them. We all live our lives by faith. So, the question is, What is Faith, and are the objects of our faith trustworthy?

       I have found four slogan-filled philosophies about this that I want to share:

  1. When your faith is stronger than your fears, you can make your dreams happen.
  2. Faith is taking the first step even when you cannot see the whole staircase.
  3. Faith is the bridge between where I am and where I am going.
  4. Faith is the bird that still sings when the night is dark.

       Of course, there are many more of these types of slogans. There is no lack of motivational motto-makers or poetic positive thinkers. There is a much better slogan, and it is not as sentimental, but its more scriptural. I shared the first verse of it previously – Hebrews 11:1. So, here is Hebrews 11:1-3 & 6: “11 Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for. 3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.” This scripture is from Hebrews 11, known as the Bible’s “Faith Hall of Fame”. The book of Hebrews was written to a group of people facing discouraging times, and chapter 10 calls on these people to persevere and to press on without giving up. The writer says in 10:38- “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.” This requires one to persevere and walk by faith. Hebrews wants to remind the readers of the heroes of the Old Testament who also faced great adversity but who trusted God, nevertheless. From their examples we learn what it means to live by faith and to walk by faith. Hebrews 11 is known by its recurring phrase, “By Faith…” This phrase occurs 24 times in Hebrews 11. What, then, is faith?

                               THE DESCRIPTION OF FAITH

Verse 1 of Hebrews 11, which we have already read, is the classic definition of Faith: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”. This is a very accurate definition of faith. It begins by telling us faith is the realization of things hoped for. The word “substance” means “assurance” or “realization’. We can substance the word “confidence”. Faith is the confidence or assurance that what we hope for- the promises and realities of God- are true and available.

       John MacArthur, Christian pastor and writer, explained it like this: “Faith transports God’s promises into the present tense. In other words, real faith implicitly takes God at His word. Faith is a supernatural confidence in- and therefore reliance on- the One who has made the promises. It is not an uncertain hope for something that may come to pass in a vague, indefinite hereafter. It is a trust that brings absolute here-and-now certainty to -things hope for”. In other words, faith says that what God has promised will happen, and it’s certain that it’s almost as if it has already happened. Faith treats things that are hoped for as a reality. The future is made real for men and women of faith. Faith is a concrete conviction. Faith is the solid, unshakeable confidence in God that is built upon the assurance that He is faithful to His promises.

       People can sometimes take one look at us and tell if we’re living with confidence or if we’re falling apart. As Christians we have certain expectations from what our Bibles say. We expect all of God’s things to work together for those who love the Lord. We expect Christ to come against any moment, like a thief in the night. We expect to live forever, for God has promised us everlasting life. We expect the Lord to take care of us, and when we go through life with confidence in these things- that is faith. So, someone with faith lives in the absolute confidence that things are factual, they are accurate, they are reliable, they are unfailingly true.

       The next part of this classic verse says that faith is “the evidence of things not seen”. The question is- what do we NOT see right now? We don’t see God; He is invisible to us. We don’t see don’t Jesus Christ; He is removed from us. We don’t see the angels- as a general rule. We don’t see the spiritual realm or the Golden City of New Jerusalem. We also don’t presently see all the solutions to all our problems, nor everything as everything should be. We do not yet see these things, but we have total assurance these realities and resolutions are just as the chair in which we are sitting or the building in which we live. This is the way the writer of Hebrews defines faith. Faith gives substance to the unseen realities. Faith is a kind of spiritual “sixth sense” that enables the believer to take a firm hold upon the unseen world and bring it into the realm of experience.

          Many people believe faith is vague and unreal, like trying to believe that fairy stories are actually true. Nothing can be more mistaken. Faith is a reality, and it reaches out to facts that are solid; The apostle Peter touched on this when he wrote: “whom   having not seen you love. 8 Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, 9 for you are receiving the end result of your faith, the salvation of your souls.” (1 Peter 1:8-9) Faith is more real than your seeing and your hearing and your smelling and your tasting and your touching. Faith is far more real than any of the senses God has given you. “Faith is deliberate confidence in the character of God whose way you may not understand at the time.”-Oswald Chambers.

       Biblical faith is growing confidence in the unseen reality of God and His involvement in our lives, even in times of stress. In fact, were it not for times of trouble, we wouldn’t have as much reason to grow in our faith. In Hebrews 11, every single one of the twenty-seven or so people whose names are written there had one thing in common: By faith they surmounted unbelievable obstacles. God allows us to hear truth, and that truth comes in our mind, and that truth begins to interact with what you already know, and what we think. Faith involves intellect. It involves thinking. The word of God gets into the mind of a person and begins to intermingle with what’s already there. But perception itself cannot be faith. Just knowing something isn’t faith. We have to add the element of persuasion. What we are thinking must penetrate into our emotions. We become emotionally attached to that truth. As we think about the truth it begins to play upon our heart. Then it becomes part of our emotional makeup. Then it requires performance. We must act on our faith. We have to put it into action. It requires our whole being- mind, emotion, and will. Real faith grabs hold of the truth and hangs on. Real faith says, “I believe it. I receive it. I base my actions on it.”

                        THE DEMONSTRATION OF FAITH

      Hebrews 11 (verses 1-3) goes on to say that the object of our faith- Almighty God- is the Creator of the universe, and that our faith begins when we recognize His handiwork in what He has made: “Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. This is what the ancients were commended for. By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God’s command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.” In other words, faith sees the invisible; and faith realizes the visible world has come from the mind of the invisible God. This is incredible! Our culture is at war over this very topic, and one of the most provocative questions in our public discourse is: “Where did we come from?” We know that faith in God gives us an understanding of the universe. God created the worlds by His word. God, an unseen power, created what we see. The cosmos was made by God.

       Where did all of the substance and the processes come from to begin with? We have no explanation, and all of the atheistic evolutionists can reason all they want to until they get to the beginning of it all. They have no way of knowing. They say evolution is a scientific theory, but it really is unscientific. They have no way of testing their theory, and it cannot be proven. IT takes more “faith” to be an evolutionist than it does to be a Christian and believe it was God who created it all. “The heaven declare the glory of God”- this is the saying of the TBN series Creation in the 21st Century- which week-in-and-week-out proves God created the total universe. By faith we understand the worlds were formed by God, so that the things which are seen were not made of things which are visible.

                               THE DEMANDS OF FAITH

That brings us full circle to the demands of faith, for verse 6 of Hebrews 11 says: “But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is- and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.” Faith is essential. The Lord demands it as part of a healthy relationship with Him. We cannot please God without faith. We might say it is part of a Christians’ DNA. It’s important to God that we believe that He is -and that we seriously seek Him.

               The Bible says that if we seek God, He will be found.

 Isaiah 55:6 says. “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near”.

Jeremiah 29:13- “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.”

Amos 5:4- “This is what the Lord says to Israel: “Seek me and live;”

Matthew 6:33 – “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all

          these things will be given to you as well.”

 If you tell me, you are not sure you really believe in God, my question is, “Yes, but are you really searching for Him? Are you really seeking after Him? How much do you care? How serious is your quest? What have you read that has helped you understand who God is and what God does? How seriously have you investigated the truth about God in the Bible?” According to Hebrews 11, God will reward those who seek Him, and those who seek Him will be found by Him. Another learning from Hebrews 11 is that God is telling to not get discouraged and don’t give up. There are so many things that this chapter is telling about faith. One of these key thoughts is that faith comforts those who are not delivered from suffering and death on this earth. The Bible, given to us by God, is filled with one story after another to teach us the importance of living and walking by faith.

       So, don’t let anybody tell you. “Oh, faith is just a feeling.” No, faith is something that happens. Faith acts. Faith empowers us. Faith pleases the heart of God. When we face difficulties, we are to trust the Lord and press on as joyfully as we can. When the devil knocks the wind out of you, regain your spiritual breathing and let the Lord lift you up. When you are overwhelmed in the flood, regain your emotional bearings and look up. God responded to the faith of the ancients, and He responds to us. Faith responds to the promise of the Father. And His most foundational promise is this: If we will place our faith in His Son alone for eternal life, He will save us from our sins and give us the gift of eternal life. We will spend eternity with Him in a place that is even now being prepared (or already finished) for those who will put their trust in Jesus Christ. That is the best place to begin the life of faith.

       To summarize: Walking in faith requires: 1. Learning to listen to God, 2. Learning to obey God, 3. Learning to depend on God, and 4. Learning to wait on God. Thus, faith is truly getting and staying as close to God as you can.

(Thanks to David Jeremiah, Charles Stanley and the Holy Spirit)