All posts by 5Q

How’s Your Self-Worth?

Jesus said, “Love your neighbor as yourself.”1

While Jesus said we were to love our neighbor as ourselves, somebody else said, “Heaven help your neighbor if you hate yourself.” There’s a lot of truth in this statement. The fact is I can only love and accept others to the degree that I have learned to love and accept myself; that is, in a healthy sense.

How I see myself, what I think about myself, how I feel about myself, and how well I accept myself will largely determine what I get out of life. If I see myself as having little worth, I will never achieve my God-given potential. But if I see myself as having great value, not in a prideful way, but as God sees and accepts me, I will, with God’s help, be able to reach and achieve my God-given life purpose and potential.

Take a bar of iron and make it into nails and it will be worth a few dollars; make it into weight bearing posts it will be worth much more; refine it and make it into stainless steel pots and it will be worth even more; or refine it even further to take out all its impurities and use it to make finely tuned space age rocket engines and it will be worth a fortune.

Life’s like that. If you believe in yourself in a healthy sense, with God’s help and his “refining fire” (plus a lot of hard work), you can become the person God envisions you to be, and be able to fulfill your God-given life purpose.

What is important is not how or where we got started in life, but how and where we finish! We had no choice in the former, but we do in the latter.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to see and accept myself as you see and accept me, and put me through your ‘refining fire’ so that I will reach and achieve my total God-given potential for you glory. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 12:31 (NIV).

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Successful Failures

“Samuel saw Eliab and thought ‘surely the Lord’s anointed [for king] stands here before the Lord.’ But the Lord said to Samuel, ‘Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.’”1

Today’s society places tremendous emphasis on physical appearance not only for women, but also (even if to a lesser degree) for men. If, for example, two men of equal qualifications apply for the same job, the tallest man is most likely to be chosen for the position.

Because of his amazing courage in the Battle of Lodi in 1796, Napoleon Bonaparte became known as “the little corporal.” He was only five-feet-two-inches tall!

William Wilberforce was another small man who apparently never enjoyed good health. For twenty years he was under a doctor’s care. More than any other person he was responsible for stopping the British slave trade. He was known for his eloquence and in 1780 entered the British Parliament at age 21. Six years later he joined Thomas Clarkson, the anti-slave campaigner, and began his fight against slavery even though the bill to end the slave trade didn’t become law until 1807—twenty-one years later.

On one occasion James Boswell, the great Scottish author went to hear Wilberforce speak. Afterward he said, “I saw what seemed to be a mere shrimp … but as I listened, he grew and grew till the shrimp became a whale.”

Often in life, many of the greatest achievements have been accomplished by persons who have had a serious setback, a major limitation or handicap, or a significant failure of one kind or another, but have overcome their defect to rise above their circumstances.

If you feel you have a shortcoming, be encouraged, the people God uses are ordinary people who make themselves available.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you that you use ordinary people to accomplish your work on earth. I am available. Please make me usable, and use me to be a part of what you are doing in the world today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Samuel 16:6-7 (NIV).

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Looking Back to Go Forward

“But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.”1

You’ve no doubt read that if flies are placed in a jar with air holes in the lid, they will fly around frantically, banging into the lid, desperately trying to escape from their prison. However, if left there long enough, eventually they will stop banging into the lid. Later, if the lid is removed, they won’t even try to escape. Somehow they have been conditioned “to believe” that there is no escape. They just keep circling in the cramped jar.

Some of us are like that. Somewhere in our past, through a bad experience, perhaps in a bad marriage, or as a teenager or child we were hurt and have been “conditioned” to believe that there is no escape, so we are afraid to try again for fear of failure or of getting hurt again.

To overcome, one needs to acknowledge where and how in the past he or she had been hurt, express the hurt, anger and/or grief creatively if these feelings exist, and then let go of them so he/she can go forward into the future unencumbered by his or her past.

As Peter said, “So get rid of your feelings of hatred.”2 Repressing or denying feelings doesn’t get rid of them. It only adds interest to them and makes things worse in the long run. Negative emotions need to be expressed verbally (or written out) in a creative manner. With grief we need to sob it out until it is all gone. That’s what tears are for. For some of us skilled counseling may be needed to help us re-connect to our super-charged repressed negative and damaged emotions, and to express them creatively.

Once this is done, forgiveness becomes possible, which we need to grant to anyone who ever hurt us. Only then can we be freed from the past and put it behind us. And then, if there is still fear of being hurt again, acknowledge the fear but choose not to allow it to control you. With God’s help step out and try, try, try again until you succeed in what it is you want to do, or better still, to do what you believe God wants you to do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to resolve any hurts from the past that are affecting my life in any negative way, and help me to forgive any and all who have ever hurt me. And help me to seek forgiveness where I have hurt others, so I can put all these things behind me, forget them, and be free to fully live and fully love. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 3:13-14 (NIV).

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

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Faith vs. Presumption

Jesus said, “If you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.”1

I remember reading in Reader’s Digest about a company who glued a mustard seed to a brochure that was advertising the product they were manufacturing. Beneath the mustard seed they had a caption that went something like the following: “If you have faith as much as a grain of mustard seed in our product, you will see a mountain of difference in what you are trying to achieve.”

Some months later a customer wrote back to the company saying, “You will be interested to know that I planted your mustard seed and it has already grown into a very robust plant—bearing healthy tomatoes!”

For our purpose what kind of seed the advertiser used doesn’t really matter, but for us to achieve anything worthwhile with our life, our faith needs to be genuine and based on reality, not on some grandiose fantasy.

Every one of us has a mountain or two in our life that we need to remove, be it a bad habit, an addiction, an impaired or toxic relationship, an unforgiving spirit, or whatever. To assume that God will remove these mountains without our accepting full responsibility for doing our part isn’t faith—it’s presumption—and presumption won’t make it.

Sometimes, too, we want to do something strictly for our own end. To justify it we say it is God’s will or God is leading me or told me to do such and such. When we do this with an impure motive, this too isn’t faith but presumption.

Many people believe that if they do more good deeds than bad deeds, this will qualify them for entering God’s heaven. Others believe that all religions lead to God and, if adhered to religiously, will qualify them for entering God’s heaven. Unfortunately these are presumptions. The only way to qualify for God’s heaven is to have faith in the way God has stated in his Word, the Bible, and that is through Jesus who said, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father [God] except through me.”2

When it comes to life after death, presumption can be fatal—eternally fatal. Faith is crucial but it needs to be in the right “seed”—and that is, in the saving gospel message of Jesus Christ. For help see the article, “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian,” at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please deliver me from the fatal folly of presumption and help me to always have faith in your ways as found in your Word, the Bible. Sometimes I feel like the man in the Bible who said, ‘Lord I believe. Help thou my unbelief.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 17:20 (NIV).

2. John 14:6 (NIV).

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Faith Without Action

“Faith by itself, if it is not accompanied by action, is dead.”1

Napoleon Hill said, “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe can be achieved.” While this statement sounds rather grandiose, there is certainly a measure of truth in it. It’s somewhat similar to what Jesus said two thousand years earlier: “According to your faith be it unto you.”2 But as James, the brother of Jesus, explained, without action faith is useless.

As the old saying goes, you can’t steer a ship or a bicycle to go anywhere until they’re moving. Zig Ziglar in his book, See You at the Top, put it this way: “The largest locomotive in the world can be held in its tracks while standing still simply by placing a single one-inch block of wood in front of each of the eight drive wheels. The same locomotive moving at 100 miles per hour can crash through a wall of steel reinforced concrete five feet thick.”

The important thing is that we get moving! As James said, “Faith without works is dead.”

Some people are sitting around waiting for some kind of special call or revelation from God before they get involved in his work. It’s not likely to happen because God has already given us lots of instructions in his Word regarding what to do. All we need to do is read these instructions … and start moving into action!

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be a doer of your Word and not just a hearer. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. James 2:17 (NIV).

2. Matthew 9:29.

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Hands of Christ

“But we Christians have no veil over our faces; we can be mirrors that brightly reflect the glory of the Lord.”1

Following World War II some German students volunteered to help rebuild a cathedral in England, one that had been badly damaged by the Luftwaffe bombings. As the work progressed, they weren’t sure how to best restore a large statue of Jesus with arms outstretched and bearing the familiar inscription, “Come unto me.”

They were able to repair all the damage to the statue except for Christ’s hands which had been completely destroyed. Should they even attempt to rebuild these?

Finally, the workers reached a decision that still stands today. They decided to leave the hands off and changed the inscription to read: “Christ has no hands but ours.”

While Christ paid the price of and purchased our salvation on the cross with his life, he left the “hands on” work of building his kingdom in your hands and mine. We are his representatives and, for many, the only Christ they will ever see is “the Christ” in you and in me. A poster on the office wall at Wheaton College says it all:

“The living truth is what I long to see,

I cannot live on what used to be,

So close your Bible and show me how

The Christ you talk about is living now.”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please use ‘my hands’ and help me to be as Christ, first to my loved ones, and then to whomever you bring in to my life today. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 3:18 (TLB)(NLT).

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Who You Are?

“The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying: ‘I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness.’”1

Rev. David Tinney tells how Rabbi Marc Gafni recalled “one of the first bar mitzvahs he ever performed. It was for a boy named Louis. Louis was awkward and sad. His insensitive parents did little to encourage his self-esteem. They implied that he was too dumb to learn the traditional Hebrew passages a boy recites for his bar mitzvah.

“Rabbi Gafni was determined to bring out the best in Louis. He spent extra time teaching him the songs and prayers. He discovered that Louis was smart, and had a fantastic singing voice. On the day of his bar mitzvah, Louis performed beautifully. At the end of the ceremony, Rabbi Gafni stood and spoke directly to Louis. He said, ‘Louis, this morning you met your real self. This is who you are. You are good, graceful, talented, and smart. Whatever people told you yesterday, and Louis, whatever happens tomorrow, promise me one thing. Remember … this is you. Remember, and don’t ever lose it.’

“A few years later, Louis wrote to Rabbi Gafni. The boy whose parents predicted that he was too dumb to perform a traditional bar mitzvah was studying for his medical degree at an Ivy League university. He was also engaged to be married. Louis ended his letter by saying, ‘I kept my promise—I always remembered my bar mitzvah morning when you said that this is who I am. For this, I thank you.’”2

Dear Reader, no matter what you have ever been told in the past, or what you have come to believe about yourself, always remember that God loves you totally with an everlasting love. He believes in you absolutely and wants you to come to him and believe in yourself in a healthy and helpful way so that you will, with his help, become all that he has envisioned for you to be, and to achieve all that he has planned for you to do.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, as you told the ancient Israelites that you loved them with an everlasting love thank you that you say the same to your followers today. Help me to experience your love and affirmation at the very core of my being so that I will be a better servant of yours in all that I am and do, and so that my life will bring glory and honor to your name. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Jeremiah 31:3 (NIV).

2. Marc Gafni, The Mystery of Love (New York: Atria Books, 2003), pp. 120-121. Cited on

“Saintly Sentinels,” Rev. David Tinney.

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Are Mentally Ill Folk Demon Possessed?

“When they came to the crowd, a man approached Jesus and knelt before him. ‘Lord, have mercy on my son,’ he said. ‘He has seizures and is suffering greatly. He often falls into the fire or into the water … Jesus rebuked the demon, and it came out of the boy, and he was healed from that moment.”1

A Daily Encounter reader writes, “Please address mental illness and please tell us that we are not demon possessed.”

True, there is a demonic world and while I have never personally seen anyone who was demon possessed, I have certainly seen quite a few people who were mentally ill. In fact, there is mental illness in my family background.

I have a relative who is Bipolar who, when a teenager, was told by some well-meaning but ill-informed Christians that his problem was a demon. This caused him to become more depressed. Besides being totally false, what these people said and did was incredibly insensitive and cruel.

I have a friend in her thirties who also suffers badly from Bipolar disorder. Sadly she believes that because she has this problem, she can’t be a Christian. Besides being totally false, this is terribly sad and while her illness isn’t caused by a demon or demon possession, what she believes is the kind of lie that Satan wants people to believe.

Before another friend was diagnosed as schizophrenic, she was tormented for several years by hallucinations of an ugly, evil face. Some thought this was demonic, but it turned out to be the long-forgotten haunting memory of her great-grandfather who sexually abused her as a young child, and threatened to kill her with a large farmer’s knife if she ever told anyone. Her mental illness was not caused by a demon, but the sexual abuse certainly was demonic, evil behavior, and certainly didn’t help her mental condition.

I am not a psychiatrist and don’t pretend to understand what mental illness is or what causes it, but it is my understanding that Bipolar, for instance, is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain and many, if not most, of these people can live very productive lives providing they stay on their medication.

While demon possession is real in some cases, in other cases some mental illness can look like demon possession. However, mental illness itself is not demon possession any more that appendicitis is. Mentally ill people need our acceptance, support, and understanding just as much as (and perhaps even more than) those who are physically ill.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me an understanding heart so that I will not be judgmental of those who are mentally ill, but rather, help me to be as Jesus to these people and accept them as you do. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Matthew 17:14-15, 18 (NIV).

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On Guard

“Be on guard. Stand true to what you believe. Be courageous. Be strong.”1

Roger Perkins wrote how he “once encountered a ruffled grouse in the woods of Montana. She was close and feigned having a broken wing and unable to fly. She would run ahead of me and look back to make sure I followed. Her purpose was to lead me away from her chicks who were somewhere nearby, although I couldn’t see them. This is a common ploy among mother wild game birds. I am capable of the same thing in my life and have done it on occasion. I have to keep on constant guard.”

What Roger is saying is that it is very easy to be led astray by rationalizing tempting thoughts and allowing them to lead us astray, and then justifying our actions when we chose to do something that we know in our heart is wrong.

As the Apostle Paul advised, we need to be constantly on guard against our own deceptive thoughts, rationalizations, and actions because Satan will never give up on seeking to lead us away from God. “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in the words of the hymn writer, I, too, am ‘Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it / Prone to leave the God I love / Here’s my heart, O take and seal it / Seal it for Thy courts above.’ Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 1 Corinthians 16:13 (NLT).

2. 1 Peter 5:8 (NKJV).

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Emergency Airplane Landing

“Prepare to meet your God.”1

Recently when Joy and I were returning from vacation, we were coming home via Denver, Colorado, when our plane was about to land, the pilot made an announcement that there was a problem with the plane that needed to be attended to prior to landing. The plane returned to a higher altitude and circled for what seemed like an eternity before we heard any further announcements. Finally, the pilot informed us that the problem was with the airplane’s brakes and that they had it under control, but we would be landing on the runway that was designed and used for space craft landings—a runway that was 16,000 feet long which is getting close to three miles long. Were we nervous?

Certainly we were anxious and more so when coming in to land, we noticed quite a few emergency vehicles lining the runway just in case. When we landed safely, all passengers were certainly relieved (and thankful) as we applauded the pilot’s safe landing of the big jetliner.

In an emergency like this, one can’t help but wonder what was going on in the mind of every passenger. How many, like Joy and myself, were praying for God’s protection and a safe landing? And how many were praying perhaps for the first time in their life? And what were the thoughts going through the minds of every passenger knowing that there was a possibility that we may be facing death? Even for Joy and myself, who have complete confidence in knowing that when death occurs, we will be in God’s hands and go directly to Heaven, it was still a very sobering thought that our lives might be suddenly ended. It did make me realize that I need to get all my effects in order because one day my end will come.

I was vividly reminded of the lady I was asked to visit in the hospital some time back. She needed a minister because she was facing the end and was terrified to die. She had fought sleep for days because she was afraid that if she went to sleep, she would never awake. Tragically, when I visited her, she had already fallen asleep and never did awaken, so I never did get to see her to share God’s love for her and the hope in Jesus Christ.

How tragically sad because nobody has to leave earth without the assurance of God’s forgiveness and a home in Heaven. Thus, if you are not absolutely sure that you are ready for life beyond life, be sure to read the article, “Passport for Heaven” at: https://learning.actsweb.org/passport.php.

Know God- Passport for HeavenPassport for Heaven

Whatever you do, don’t leave earth without it!

See it at: https://learning.actsweb.org/passport.php

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the gift or your Son, Jesus Christ, who died on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins, so that I can be fully forgiven and receive your gift of eternal life to be with you in Heaven forever after my life on earth is over. Please help me to be absolutely certain that I have received your forgiveness and that my name is written in your book of life—for life beyond death. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

For additional help, read “How to Be Sure You’re a Real Christian” online at: www.actsweb.org/christian.

1. Amos 4:12 (NIV).

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