Monthly Archives: October 2014

What Can I Even Begin to Do?

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“So the Lord said to him [Moses], ‘What is that in your hand?’”1

In response to a Daily Encounter on the subject of discovering one’s God-given life purpose, a subscriber whom I shall name “Janet” (not her real name) e-mailed me, saying, “I am disabled. I can’t drive and am homebound. I can barely take care of myself; so what can my purpose be? I have multiple fractures of my spine and could go on with all my surgeries. What can I even begin to do?” Following is my reply:

“Dear Janet, I am very saddened to hear of your condition. This has to be a terrible challenge. However, here is a possible suggestion. Because you have an e-mail address and can at least send e-mail messages, tell God that you are available for Him to use and ask Him to use you to be an encourager of others via sending positive e-mail messages, or to give you a ministry using your computer and e-mail. Also, you could have a wonderful prayer ministry and be greatly used by God in this area.

“For simple and practical ideas that you could use in a personal ministry, please check out this website at: https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power_invite.php. God could certainly use you in this ministry as a People Power for Jesus Partner to reach others with the saving gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.

“Here is a suggested prayer that you could pray at the beginning of every day: “Dear God, today I commit and trust my life and way to you. Oh that you would bless me wonderfully. Please be with me in everything I do. Greatly expand my Christian borders, and keep me from all evil, harm and disaster. Also, I am available again today. Please make me usable and use me to be an effective witness for Jesus and to be ‘as Jesus’ in some way to every life I have contact with, whether it be in person, through an email, a letter, or via the telephone. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name. Amen.”

I have been praying this prayer every morning since my youth, and plan on praying it every morning for the rest of my life. Nobody is more amazed than I am in how God has faithfully answered this prayer over so many years. If you will make yourself available to God for Him to use and genuinely want Him so to do, I can guarantee that God will use you to be a wonderful blessing to the lives you touch.

When God called Moses to lead the Children of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Moses didn’t know how he was going to do the job; so God simply told him to use what he had in his hand. That’s how God uses each one of us … He calls us to use what He has already given to us and what we already have.

My suggested prayer for today, for every Daily Encounter subscriber, is the prayer that I suggested for Janet to pray.

1. Exodus 4:2 (NKJV).

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The Choices We Make Make Us

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“But if serving the LORD seems undesirable to you, then choose for yourselves this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your forefathers served beyond the River, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land you are living. But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.”1

Several years ago a close family friend whom I shall name “Cynthia” (not her real name), experienced a very painful divorce. However, instead of getting into a recovery program or group to deal with her grief, Cynthia got involved with a single man who she envisioned would take care of her for the rest of her life. He was a very capable man, was very successful in terms of what many consider in today’s world to be successful, and extremely wealthy—but he was an angry man and very mean to Cynthia, and even after several years of “using” Cynthia, refused to marry her. Tragically, she refused to accept any friendly advice and instead chose to stay involved with this man.

Several years ago now, Cynthia’s friend had an accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He has been in assisted living ever since. His family, fearing our friend might inherit some of his money, had her cut out of his will, and refused to allow Cynthia to even visit him where he now lived.

So what did Cynthia do to avoid facing and resolving her pain? Tragically, she turned to alcohol to deaden her pain. Today she is a hopeless alcoholic and has had to be hospitalized. Furthermore, she is in denial and, like any alcoholic, unless she is willing to admit that she is an alcoholic and is willing to seek help, her situation is hopeless.

Cynthia’s problem started long before she even took her first drink. It started when she became involved with a fellow who only wanted and used her for her body, was mean to her, and she made the choice to stick with him no matter what—all because of money—the money she never received, or will ever receive!

Cynthia’s choices not only made her; they destroyed her. Always remember, too, that the choices you and I make will make us.

We are also reminded of God’s Word that says, “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please forgive me for all the bad choices I have made in the past and help me to make wise and careful choices today and in the future, remembering that the choices I make, will make me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’s name, amen.”

Note: If you have never made the choice to accept Jesus Christ as your Savior, and thereby receive God’s forgiveness for all your sins, for help read, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” at: http://tinyurl.com/real-christian.

1. Joshua 24:15 (NIV).

2. Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

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When You Don’t Feel Like Being Loving

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“Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ….”1

Do you ever get your feelings hurt? If so, when this happens, how do you usually react? Do you want to withdraw from that person or get angry? Or if it it is a friend whom you feel hurt you, do you feel like ending the friendship?

When I feel hurt, my tendency is to want to withdraw, but what I try to remember to do is to pray and admit to God just how I feel and then ask Him to help me to be “as Jesus” to this person no matter how I feel, and then choose to do the loving thing towards this person, whether I feel like it or not.

Wherever possible, I also choose to share my hurt feelings with the person involved with the goal to “speak the truth in love.” To do this it is important to use “I” messages, not “you” messages. That is, to say, “I really feel hurt and need to talk to you about such and such….” Don’t say, “You really hurt my feeling when you did or said such and such.” We need to remember that what the other person says or does is their issue. The manner in which we respond and how we feel is always our issue and our responsibility.

I am not in any way seeking to justify what the other person does; rather, I am taking full responsibility for what I do and the manner in which I react. If I over-react to what is said or done, that is triggering some unfinished business in me. Furthermore, to the degree that I overreact, that is entirely my problem and my responsibility.

Admittedly, speaking the truth in love when we are feeling hurt and/or angry is much easier said than done, but it is something we need to learn how to do to maintain loving relationships.

At the same time, if the person who we feel has hurt us has a habit of lashing out when things don’t go their way, then we need to be firm with tough love, letting him or her know that if he/she continues to treat us in a hurtful manner, we will need to distance our-self from them, until they resolve their issue.

In all conflict situations, with God’s help, as a Christian, our goal is always to speak the truth in love.

Suggested prayer, “Dear God, when my feelings are hurt, please help me to evaluate my feelings to see if they are justified, or if I am over-reacting. If the latter, please help me to resolve the cause of my reaction and never blame anyone else for my issue. And even if my hurt feelings are justified, always help me to be ‘as Jesus’ to the person in question and always speak the truth in love. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. Ephesians 4:15 (TLB).

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

Will I Make a Difference?

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“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Finally, there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will give to me on that Day, and not to me only but also to all who have loved His appearing.”1

On a recent Saturday night Joy and I were enjoying listening to gospel music and heard the Oakridge Boys singing; “Did I Make a Difference?” The lyrics were tremendously challenging. Following are some of these:

“I’m caught up in the push and shove / The daily grind, burning time, spinning wheels / I wonder what I’m doing here / Day to day, year to year, standing still …

I can’t help but ask myself when I lay down at night:

“Did I make a difference in somebody’s life? / What hurts did I heal? What wrongs did I right? / Did I raise my voice in defense of the truth? / Did I lend my hand to the destitute? / When my race is run, when my song is sung / Will I have to wonder, did I make a difference? / Did I make a difference?”

The good news is that you and I, especially working together, can make a tremendous difference. Every weekday of the year, via Daily Encounter, ACTS is communicating a message from God’s Word, including the gospel, to well over a third-of-a-million worldwide subscribers. Thousands more are being reached via ACTS web pages and Weekend Encounter. As the stats show, on average, people from 194 countries and territories visit ACTS web pages every month! Best of all, since going online in 1998, ACTS has received 41,000+ salvation and re-commitment to Jesus Christ decision responses from 168 countries that we know about.

You, too, can have a vital part in this ministry and help make a difference in countless lives for all eternity. You can do this by (1) joining with us as an ACTS Prayer Partner, (2) as a People Power for Jesus Partner, or (3) as an ACTS financial supporter.

First, If you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner committing to pray regularly for ACTS Daily Encounter and ACTS daily gospel outreach ministry, please sign up at: https://learning.actsweb.org/subscribe.php, or email me and tell me you would like to be an ACTS Prayer Partner.

Second, if you have an email address, you can become a missionary right from your own home by becoming a People Power for Jesus Partner. It is very simple, doesn’t cost a single cent or penny, and can help reach any friend, family member, or contact for Christ via the email and Internet. For more information go to: https://learning.actsweb.org/people_power_invite.php.

Third, another vital way you can help make a major difference in hundreds of lives is by becoming a monthly Financial Supporter of ACTS gospel ministries. In the past year we lost 50% of our monthly supporters. These supporters badly need to be replaced because it is the ACTS financial supporters who make all of ACTS gospel outreach ministries possible. You can sign up to be a monthly supporter, or send a one-time donation on ACTS secure donor site at: https://actscom.com/donate.php.

Will YOU make a difference with your life? With God’s help you can!

When you and I stand before Jesus to give an account of our life, may we both hear His welcoming words: “Well done, good and faithful servant. Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, I dedicate my life afresh to You today as I want my life to make a difference. Please use me in whatever way You choose to be a part of what You are doing in the world today to help win lost souls to Jesus. Please lead me in the way I should go and show me exactly what I can and should do. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’s name, amen.”

1. 2 Timothy 4:7-8 (NKJV).

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