Monthly Archives: January 2014

Strength out of Weakness

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“My grace is sufficient for you, for my strength is made perfect in weakness.”1

In his book, Confidence, Alan Loy McGinnis talks about a famous study entitled “Cradles of Eminence” by Victor and Mildred Goertzel, in which the family backgrounds of 300 highly successful people were studied.

Many of the names of those in the study were well-known to most of us—including Franklin D. Roosevelt, Helen Keller, Winston Churchill, Albert Schweitzer, Gandhi, and Einstein—all of whom were brilliant in their field of expertise.

The results of this study are both surprising and encouraging for many of us who came from a less than desirable home life. For example: “Three-quarters of the children were troubled either by poverty, by a broken home, or by rejecting, over-possessive or dominating parents.

“Seventy-four of 85 writers of fiction or drama and 16 of the 20 poets came from homes where, as children, they saw tense psychological drama played out by their parents.

“Physical handicaps such as blindness, deafness, or crippled limbs characterized over one-quarter of the sample.”

These people who had confidence in their abilities and put them to creative use had more weaknesses and handicaps than many who have all of their faculties intact and who had a reasonably good home life background. So, what made the difference? Probably by compensating for their weaknesses they excelled in other areas.

One man reported, “What has influenced my life more than any other single thing has been my stammer. Had I not stammered I would probably have gone to Cambridge as my brothers did, perhaps have become a don and every now and then published a dreary book about French literature.” The speaker who stammered until his death was W. Somerset Maugham, as he looked back on his life at age 86.

“By then he had become a world-renowned author of more than 20 books, 30 plays, and scores of essays and short stories.”

It’s not what we have or don’t have that matters in life but what we do with what we have. All God expects of us is that we don’t allow our past to determine our future, and that with his help we use what we have to the best of our ability.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for the gifts You have given to me, no matter how small or large, help me to develop and use them to my total God-given potential, and to use them for Your glory. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 12:9.

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Faithfulness

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The Apostle Paul, at life’s end, said, “I have fought a good fight. I have finished the course. I have kept the faith.”1

One of my favorite quotes, which I like to repeat from time to time, is from Theodore Roosevelt who said: “It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbled, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those timid souls who know neither victory or defeat.”2

Not long before a close friend of mine died of cancer, I asked him what it felt like to be forty-four and in his predicament. Among a number of things he said, “I feel angry because there was so much more I wanted to do with life. I feel bad about being so busy and not spending more time with my family.” And then, after a thoughtful pause he said, “I can’t help but wonder what I have done with my life that has been truly worthwhile.”

His words were sobering and I know that when I get to the end of my journey and stand before the Savior, I want to know that I have invested my life wisely for eternity and have earned the Savior’s welcome words, “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Whether we live for forty, eighty, or a hundred years, our time here on earth is but a drop in the ocean compared to eternity. And as Amy Carmichael said, “We have all eternity to celebrate the victories, but only a few short hours to fight and win the battles.” So, let’s keep daring greatly for God!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in glad surrender I yield my life totally to You. Help me to live always for You and invest my life wisely in eternity by being a part of what You are doing in the world today. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:7.

2. Theodore Roosevelt.

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On Being a Positive Realist

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“Then he [Jesus] touched their eyes and said, ‘According to your faith will it be done to you,’ and their sight was restored.”1

I like to think I am a positive realist. For example, if I’ve been hit by a Mac truck all the positive thinking in the world won’t take away the pain. But if I am a positive realist, I will acknowledge the fact that I’ve been hurt real bad, but with God’s help and the best medical help I can find I will do all in my power to overcome what has happened to me.

One’s thinking does make a big difference. If you keep telling yourself and believing you will overcome, chances are you will make great gains much faster than if you keep telling yourself all is lost.

As Baudjuin said, “To be ambitious for wealth, and yet always expecting to be poor; to be always doubting your ability to get what you long for, is like trying to reach east by traveling west. There is no philosophy which will help man to succeed when he is always doubting his ability to do so, and thus attracting failure. No matter how hard you work for success, if your thoughts are saturated with the fear of failure, it will kill your efforts, neutralize your endeavors, and make success impossible.”

It is still true, “According to your faith it will be done to you.”

Suggested Prayer: “Dear God, please give me the faith to overcome every setback, problem, and challenge that I am facing in my life. With Your help, grant that I will become a better man/woman as a result of having faced and overcome these trials. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:29-30.

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Life is Short … We only Have One Shot at It

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“So teach us [God] to number our days that we may gain a heart of wisdom.”1

Last year Joy and I had the opportunity to attend a reunion in Sydney, Australia, of the Open Air Campaigners, an evangelistic organization that I was very much involved in back in the 1950s. At the reunion I met many friends I hadn’t seen in over half-a-century. It was amazing how time had flown, and now that we were all in our senior years of life, one couldn’t help but realize how brief life on earth is.

In realizing that our days are numbered, it is good to remind ourselves that the day is coming when we will all come face to face with God and appear at his judgment seat to give an account of our life. According to God’s Word, the Bible, there are two distinct judgment seats after life on earth is ended.

First, is the Judgment Seat of Christ2 where all who have confessed their sins, received God’s forgiveness and Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior will NOT be judged for their sins because Jesus has already paid for their penalty, but will be judged and rewarded on the basis of how they have lived for and served God since the day they accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior.

The second judgment seat is the Great White Throne Judgment3 seat of God where those who have never confessed their sins to God, nor asked for His forgiveness, nor accepted Jesus Christ as their Savior—God’s Son who died on the cross to pay the penalty for their sins—will stand before God and accept His just judgment for all their sins. Tragically these people will be damned to a lost eternity forever in the place the Bible calls Hell, an unthinkable thought.

So, dear reader, if you have never received God’s forgiveness and Jesus Christ as your Savior, I urge you to do that today. Please don’t put this off for even a moment more. For help read the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: www.actsweb.org/christian, and receive God’s full and free pardon for all your sins—today.

And if you have accepted God’s forgiveness and Jesus as your Savior, make absolutely certain, through your service to God, that you are laying up treasures in heaven. How tragically sad it would be to stand before Jesus to give an account of your service for God while here on earth, and you have little or nothing to offer.

As Jesus says to all his followers: “Do not lay up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”4

Remember: life is short—we only have one shot at it! “Only one life ’twill soon be past; only what’s done for Christ will last.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for Your Word that gives explicit instructions both for this life and life beyond the grave. Please open the eyes of my understanding so that I will fully understand Your instructions, and adhere to them so that I will know with absolute certainty that when my life on earth is ended, I will go to be with You in heaven forever, and that when I stand before Jesus to give an account of my life in how I have lived for and served Him, that I won’t be empty handed. So help me God. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Psalm 90:12 (NKJV).

2. 2 Corinthians 5:10 (NKJV).

3. Revelation 20:11-15 (NKJV).

4. Matthew 6:19-21 (NKJV).

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When Temptation Knocks on the Door

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“Let no one say when he is tempted, ‘I am tempted by God’; for God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He Himself tempt anyone. But each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed. Then, when desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, brings forth death.”1

We live in and are all a part of this world that has been broken by sin. Consequently, having a sin nature from birth, nobody escapes temptation. It always starts in the mind, and can be triggered by something we see on TV, hear on the radio, listening to a degrading pop song, seeing a photo, by an unmet need, by idle thinking, or any one of numerous possibilities. Because of our sinful nature, temptation is always lurking around the corner and ready to knock on the door of our mind.

However, as today’s Scripture reminds us, “each one is tempted when he is drawn away by his own desires and enticed.” Once we are enticed, we have already taken the bait, and then we start thinking about what we want or would like to do. The more we think about it, the stronger the temptation grows, and if we don’t “nip it in the bud” right away, we are setting ourselves up for a fall.

However, realize that God’s Word also points out that there is always a way of escape. “So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”2

So what’s the way of escape? As temptation starts in the mind that’s where the battle rages, and that’s where it is won or lost. Speaking personally, the greatest help I have found when temptation is knocking on the door of my mind, is to say and pray over and over in my mind the following: “Jesus Christ is Lord. Jesus Christ is the Son of the Living God. Jesus Christ is the Messiah who died to pay the penalty for all my sins. Jesus Christ is my Lord, my God, and My Savior.” Satan, the author of all temptation, absolutely hates these proclamations and in no time will leave tempting us as long as we keep repeating these words. He will, however, keep returning in his attempt to cause us to fall, but as long as we keep concentrating on and repeating these eternal truths, the temptation will be dissipated and, thanks to God, we will remain victorious.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You for making a way of escape for when I am tempted. Please give me the desire to never give in to temptation remembering that You have provided a way of escape. Help me always to focus my thoughts on the fact that Jesus Christ is Lord, and that He is Lord of my life, until the temptation is dissipated and has left me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. James 1:13-15 (NKJV).

2. 1 Corinthians 10:12-13 (NIV).

P.S. It also always helps to get legitimate needs met in legitimate ways.

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LEGO Lessons for Life

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“Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?”1

Today’s Daily Encounter Lego illustration is by Steve Klusmeyer who writes:

“Life might be less complicated for all of us if we each received our own LEGO kit at birth. Yes, I realize there is a choking hazard for children under three. But when you are old enough, you can learn a lot from LEGOs. I have learned that:

“Size doesn’t matter. When stepped on in the dark, a 2X2 LEGO brick causes the same amount of pain as a 2X8 brick.

“All LEGO men are created equal (1.5625 inches tall). What they become is limited only by imagination.

“There is strength in numbers. When the bricks stick together, great things can be accomplished.

“Playtime is important. Sometimes it doesn’t matter what you are building, as long as you’re having fun.

“Disaster happens. But the pieces can be put back together again.

“Every brick has a purpose. Some are made for a specific spot—most can adapt almost anywhere—but every one will fit somewhere.

“Color doesn’t matter. A blue brick will fit in the same space as a red brick.

“No one is indispensable. If one brick is unavailable, another can take its place.

“It doesn’t always turn out as planned. Sometimes it turns out better. If it doesn’t, you can always try again.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to remember that I have a part to play in Your body, the Church, and that I am not any more or less important than any other member. Help me to know where I fit best, and play my part faithfully so that my life will bring honor and glory to Your name. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 12:14-17 (NIV).

2. Steve Klusmeyer. Web site no longer available.

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Hot Buttons

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“So get rid of your feelings of hatred. Don’t just pretend to be good! Be done with dishonesty and jealousy and talking about others behind their backs. Now that you realize how kind the Lord has been to you, put away all evil, deception, envy, and fraud. Long to grow up into the fullness of your salvation; cry for this as a baby cries for his milk.”1

One of the major problems Daily Encounter readers write to me about is relationship conflicts. When any close relationship is out of order, mental and emotional stress results. If continuing over a long period of time, this can cause major illnesses. No wonder that God’s Word, the Bible, instructs us to get rid of our feelings of hatred, jealousy, dishonesty and the like. In other words we need to resolve all negative emotions, stop repressing and denying feelings, and grow up in emotional as well as spiritual maturity. When we fail to do this, we pay the high price of relational conflict and run the risk of many physical and emotional illnesses.

Furthermore, when we fail to resolve super-charged, repressed negative emotions from the past, we have various “hot buttons” that get easily triggered and cause us to over-react. If for example, when growing up I had an angry father and was often in conflict with him, I am bound to have a “hot father-button.” And then, in my adult life whenever someone’s behavior towards me reminds me in any way of my father, my “hot father-button” will get triggered. I will then relate to this person in exactly the same way that I related to my father and overreact in my response towards that person. In my thinking I will automatically blame that person for my response. What this person did to me may or may not be a problem; however, my response to him/her is always my responsibility and to the degree that I overreact, that is always my problem! As long as I play the blame-game, I will “be lame”; that is, I will never resolve my relationship conflicts.

It is only as I become authentic (get real) and face the truth about why I overreact to people, will I ever be set free from and/or resolve my impaired relationships. As long as we are in denial, as John Powell so insightfully said, “We defend our dishonesty on the grounds that it may hurt another person; and then, having rationalized our phoniness into nobility, we settle for superficial relationships.”2

To resolve super-charged negative emotions from the past—even all the way back to childhood—often needs the help of a skilled professional counselor. If this is your situation, recovery begins with acknowledging your problem and admitting that you need help. Ask your minister or your family doctor if they can recommend a counselor who specializes in helping to resolve damaged emotions.* Above all, admit and confess your problem to God. One of the most powerful prayers anyone can ever pray is, “God I have a problem. I need help. Please be merciful to me a sinner and lead me to the help I need to overcome my problem.” (Be sure to name the problem. Call it what it is).

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in every conflict situation in which I find myself, please confront me with the truth of what I am contributing to the conflict. Help me to recognize my ‘hot buttons’ and see when I am overreacting. Direct me to find the help I need to resolve my problem and overcome my ‘hot buttons.’ Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Peter 2:1-3 (TLB)(NLT).

2. John Powell, Why I Am Afraid to Tell You Who I Am, Argus Communications.

*For counseling help, if you live in the U.S. or Canada, call the Narramore Christian Foundation at 1-800-477-5893 and press “1″ for Dianne and she should be able to give you the name of a fine Christian counselor or two in your area.

NOTE: For further help see the article, “Resolving Conflict Creatively” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=126&d=1&c=3&p=1.

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Same-Sex Marriage: Where Will It lead?

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As God’s Word says, “Do not practice homosexuality, having sex with another man as with a woman. It is a detestable sin.”1

On December 19 “… the New Mexico Supreme Court voted unanimously to redefine marriage to include two men or two women. New Mexico joins 16 other states and the District of Columbia in allowing same-sex marriage, after Hawaii and Illinois passed similar laws last month.

“There are certain laws which judges, legislators, and even the people cannot change. They are called natural laws. The Declaration of Independence refers to these laws as the ‘laws of nature and of nature’s God.’ These natural laws transcend time, cultures, and political institutions.

“Sir William Blackstone said any earthly law which is contrary to the natural law is no law at all. This view of law has shaped Western law and government for over 2,000 years. St. Augustine and Martin Luther King, Jr. shared this view of law. If there is a Creator God, then there must be a higher law which cannot be transgressed. We easily accept this view when it comes to the laws of physics such as the law of gravity. But the same is true of certain moral laws, among which include the sanctity of human life, marriage between a man and a woman, and religious freedom.

“When judges, legislators, or the people have the hubris to deceive themselves into thinking they can violate these laws without consequences, they are blind to history and the Scriptures. Deconstructing marriage will be the end of freedom or the beginning of a new revolution.”2

The fact is that ALL of God’s laws are for the health, well-being and protection of those whom God loves—us! When we disregard God’s laws, we do so to the detriment of ourselves, our families, and our society. If we defy God’s physical law, such as the law of gravity, we harm or even destroy ourselves. If we defy God’s moral laws, we do the same thing.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, as our society more and more disregards your Word and your laws, the more we are on a pathway to self-destruction. Please send a great spiritual awakening which is a desperate need … and please start your work in me. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer.

Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Leviticus 18:22.
2. “Liberty Alert,” Liberty Council, http://www.lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14102&AlertID=1687.

To subscribe to “Liberty Alert,” an e-Mail service without charge, go to: http://www.lc.org/index.cfm?PID=14103.

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Secret of Success

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“Be strong and very courageous. Be careful to obey all the instructions Moses gave you. Do not deviate from them, turning either to the right or to the left. Then you will be successful in everything you do.”1

Many years ago God gave his people, the ancient Israelites, a specific goal and with it an unbeatable formula for success. The goal was to claim and possess the Promised Land which, in time, became the country we know today as Israel.

If we want to be successful—that is, in the eyes of God, we also need to discover our God-given life purpose and, with God’s help, be totally committed to fulfilling it, and in the process be sure to live in harmony with God’s instructions for wholesome living.

It seems to me that far too many people drift through life mostly allowing “life as it happens” to direct and determine their future, rather than specifically choosing the direction and future of their life. To avoid the former, it is imperative to have a clearly defined life purpose with specific goals to fulfill that purpose.

Psychologists have been telling us for years that if we are to be successful, we need to have well defined goals. Furthermore, Victor Frankl, the Viennese psychiatrist, says that “not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching a goal.”

If you want to be truly successful, make sure that you have a clearly defined life purpose and goal that is both realistic and worthwhile. Be sure to get the training you need to be able to fulfill your goal, and determine a plan for fulfilling it. The beginning point is to discover your life purpose-goal, put it into writing—with a specific plan to fulfill it—and commit this to memory and review it constantly. Doing this will program it into your subconscious mind that will help your mind to automatically work on your plans even when you are asleep.

As another has wisely said, “Success is the ability for formulate a worthwhile goal and then employ all of your powers for the achievement of that goal.”

Furthermore, and above all, make sure that your life purpose and goal includes planning for your life beyond this life because, as God’s Word reminds us: “It is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment.”2 For help, read the article, “Life After Death,” online at: http://tinyurl.com/after-death-life.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to discover my God-given life purpose and goal, and establish a workable plan to fulfill this goal. Help me to get the training needed to be able to achieve this goal, and the determination—with Your help to fulfill it—and do all for Your glory. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Joshua 1:7 (NLT).

2. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).

Footnote: As Jack Canfield suggested, “If you are clear where you are going and you take several steps in that direction every day, you eventually have to get there. If I head north out of Santa Barbara and take five steps a day, eventually I have to end up in San Francisco. So decide what you want, write it down, review it constantly, and each day do something that moves you toward those goals.”

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Miracles

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“According to your faith let it be to you.”1 — Jesus.

George Washington Carver, whose research won him international fame, was an African American born to slave parents. “A week after his birth, George was kidnapped along with his sister and mother from the Carver farm by raiders from the neighboring state of Arkansas. The three were sold in Kentucky, and among them only the infant George was located by an agent of Moses Carver and returned to Missouri.”2

Someone claimed that when growing up, George had a lot of faith, and when he was still young, prayed: “Lord, tell me all about the universe.”

But God said, “George, that’s a tall order. Why don’t you pray for something more your size?”

So George said, “All right, Lord, tell me all about the peanut.”

God answered him and George discovered more than three hundred uses for the peanut—ranging from salad oil to soap.”

Greater still, George overcame his humble beginnings to discover the miracles in his life.

Whether this story about George’s prayer is real or just an allegory, it is an excellent parable for each of us to stop and evaluate our life, and ask ourselves if we have discovered the “miracle” in our life that God has planned for each of us, and to become the person he envisioned us to be.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank You that You have a wonderful miracle-purpose for my life, and will or have already given me all that I need to achieve this miracle. Please help me to see what that ‘miracle’ is, and give me the courage and help to do all that I need to do to fulfill this God-given life purpose miracle. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 9:29 (NKJV).

2. See also: http://www.biography.com/people/george-washington-carver-9240299.

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