All posts by 5Q

Oportunity Comes to Pass …

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As Jesus said, “As long as it is day, we must do the work of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work.”1

Once upon a time a city dweller moved to the country and bought a farm with a cow. In no time his cow went dry. When he told this to the neighboring farmer, the farmer was surprised as this cow had always given lots of milk.

The city man was surprised, too, and told the other farmer how considerate he had been of the cow. He said, “I never took more milk than I needed. If I only needed a quart, that’s all I took. If I didn’t need any milk, I didn’t milk her that day!”

What the man didn’t realize is that, to keep a cow producing milk, he needed to take what she had to give.

That’s kind of like life, isn’t it? If we don’t use the gifts we have, we may lose them. And if we don’t take the opportunities for service, for growth, for spiritual enrichment while we have them, we may lose these opportunities too.

Remember: “Opportunity comes to pass, not to pause!”

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please show me how to put to good use the gifts you have given me so I can have a part in what you are doing in the world in which I live today. May I never waste what you have given to me to give to others. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. John 9:4 (NIV).

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What We Project

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“A man reaps what he sows.”1

A man was recently complaining to me about how most men rejected him. In his mind he was convinced that it was entirely their problem. As kindly as I could I tried to get him to see that fundamentally “what we project is what we get back.”

If one or two people reject me that’s par for the course. Not everybody is going to like me. Expecting them to do so is unrealistic.

However, if many people reject me, then I can be reasonably sure that the reason probably lies within me. In reality, “We tend to treat ourselves the way we were treated and then others treat us the way we treat ourselves.” If, for example, I felt rejected as a child, I will tend to continue acting as if I am still being rejected, and imagine in my mind that others are still rejecting me also. While this is understandable it’s self-deception.

Furthermore, as long as we blame others for the reactions we have, we can never overcome our problems. It’s far too easy to want others to change. The reality is that the only person I can ever change is me. And when I change, people’s reaction to me will also change—because what I consistently project I will consistently get back! That’s pretty much a law of life. What we sow is what we reap.

The road to recovery begins with facing the truth and reality of what we are contributing to the problems we have. Only then can we help ourselves and only then can God help us. Denial of reality is the way to self-destruction. As Jesus pointed out, only the truth can set us free.2

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to see anything in me that causes people to react negatively to me in any way. And lead me to the help I need to overcome my problem/s. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Galatians 6:7 (NIV).

2. John 8:32.

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To Be or Not to Be

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“Then He [Jesus] appointed twelve that they might be with Him.”1

God is not into religion. He’s into relationships. That is, his goal for you and me is that we be in healthy relationships both with him and with one another.

God himself is in relationship as the Holy Trinity: God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Being created in the image of God we, too, were created for relationships. Furthermore, Christianity began in relationships when, at the beginning of his earthly ministry, Jesus chose the twelve disciples “that they might be with him.”

As another has said, “To be is to be in relationship” without which we limp along in the shadows of life with an empty hole in our heart. It may not be most desirable, but we can live a fulfilling life without being in a romantic relationship, but we cannot fully live, let alone fully love, unless we have a healthy relationship with at least one other loving person … preferably with more than one. To be in relationship is to be open, vulnerable, and known as we really are, for we can only ever be loved and truly relate to others to the degree that we are known. As long as we hide behind a mask, we can never feel loved nor can we relate because masks can’t relate.

In his book, The Transparent Self, Sydney Jourard said, “Every maladjusted person is someone who has not made himself known to another human being and in consequence he does not know himself. Nor can he be himself. More than that, he struggles actively to avoid becoming known by another human being. He works ceaselessly at it day and night. And it is work!”

True relationship begins with being ruthlessly honest with one’s self and with God—and then with at least one other honest, loving, and trustworthy friend.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to be an authentic person—honest with myself, with you and with at least one other trustworthy friend so that I will learn to be the person you envisioned for me to be and therein discover how to fully live and fully love in loving relationships. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Mark 3:14 (NKJV).

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Words

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“With the tongue [words] we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers [and sisters], this should not be.”1

I recently read about a middle-aged man who has been struggling with chronic depression for many years. His counselor told him that he would need to be on antidepressant drugs for the rest of his life. He told the counselor that his father, a self-made head of a large corporation, repeatedly said to him, “Son, when you inherit the family business, I expect you’ll ruin it.”

“These words stung more painfully each time he heard them. When his father died, the man felt driven to work unreasonably long hours to prove his dad’s prediction wrong. The pressure to avoid failure that relentlessly gnawed at him was quieted only by alcohol. Soon a serious drinking problem developed. His wife threatened to leave him. Finally he succumbed to ongoing depression for which he could find relief only in drugs. His life was devastated by the power of his father’s tongue.”2

I was once told that I was physically ugly. It took me years to overcome that one sentence because, tragically, I believed it. However, I have since learned that it had more to do with the person who spoke those words than it had to do with me.

With words we can bless or curse others; encourage or discourage; hearten or dishearten them. They can be powerful motivators or de-motivators. Let’s always use them as an instrument of healing and encouragement—and never use them to hurt, demoralize, or destroy another.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, thank you for the gift of words. Please fill my heart with your love so I will always use words as a blessing to others and never as a curse. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Words

Words spoken
may soon pass away
and forgotten be,
but when spoken
in love and kindness,
are like beautiful flowers,
and even though
they fade and die
from conscious memory,
their fragrance lives on
embedded in the
deeper mind —
forever.3

– Dick Innes

© Copyright

1. James 3:9-10 (NIV).

2. KneEmail. To subscribe, send any message to: kneemail-subscribe@welovegod.org.

3. Poem by Dick Innes, beautifully presented is available for framing. See: http://tinyurl.com/words-spoken.

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The Direction You Lean

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“I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth.”1

As I’ve mentioned before, for many years I have ridden a mountain bike, and riding down the steep hill where we live is quite exhilarating—sure is a lot more fun than riding back up again—obviously, though, the benefit is only from the ride up. Unlike a car, however, on a bicycle you don’t steer to turn. You lean to turn in the direction you want to go. If you lean towards the left, you go left. If towards the right, you go right. And if you lean too far either way, you’ll fall. I know because I’ve leaned too far before—not on our steep hill fortunately.

Life’s like that too. If you lean towards the left of liberalism that’s the direction you will go; and if you lean towards the right of conservatism, that too is the direction you will go. And if you are an ultra or extreme-left-winger or a dogmatic extreme-right-winger, chances are—in time—you will ultimately fall too.

Both of these extremes are the opposite side of the same coin. The culprits are not likely to admit it, but both are equally neurotic. For example, a dogmatic-right-winger is theologically rigid because he is emotionally rigid, repressed, and in denial. It has nothing to do with his self-perceived spirituality. He’s this way because he is insecure. His defense against this is his rigidity. He always wants to be in control as this is the only way he feels safe. It’s exactly the same for the extreme-left-winger. He’s no different and is just as rigid in his stance as is the extreme or dogmatic-right-winger in his.

The healthiest and best direction to lean is towards God, trusting in him and in his Word for the direction of your life. It is also essential to face one’s emotional issues so we have our eyes open so we can see clearly the direction in which we are leaning—and heading, for where you look is where you will go.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me be emotionally honest with myself and you so I can see clearly and stay focused on the direction I need to go. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 121:1-2 (NIV).

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Overcoming Fear

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“But when I am afraid, I will put my trust in you. I praise God for what he has promised. I trust in God, so why should I be afraid? What can mere mortals do to me?”1

Fear is unquestionably a problem common to all. Somebody has said that there are 365 “fear nots” [or the equivalent thereof]* in the Bible—one for every day of the year!

Healthy fear is a God-given emotion. Without it we would get into all sorts of dangerous situations. We rightly fear, or should fear, driving through a red light or walking alone at night (or in broad daylight) in a dangerous area. If we don’t, we’re out of touch with reality.

The fears that give us problems are those that cause anxiety, sleepless nights, give us ulcers, cause us to fail in our relationships and in our work, etc., etc.

On the surface these fears may seem to be irrational. Usually they’re not in the sense that they have their roots in past frightening or traumatic experiences. Even a dog, if it has been abused by a human in the past, will be afraid of humans—so will people.

So how do we overcome our fears?

First, like David, we need to trust in the Lord and seek his guidance to find the help we need to resolve our fears.

Second, if our fear is caused by a traumatic experience in childhood or in the past, very often skilled therapy is needed so the root cause can be resolved and trust restored.

Whether God heals us directly or through a counselor doesn’t matter. The important thing is that we choose to trust God and ask him to give us the courage to face our fears-and lead us to the help we need to overcome them. As King David said, “When I am afraid, I will trust in you.”

When I am afraid, I keep quoting David who also said, “The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do unto me?”2

May our trust be stronger than our doubts and our love greater than our fears—for the God who brought us this far will not desert us now.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the courage to get in touch with and face all my fears so I don’t set myself up to fail. And please lead me to the help I need to overcome them so I can honestly say with David, ‘I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears.’2 Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Psalm 56:3-4 (NLT).

2. Psalm 118:6 (NIV).

3. Psalm 34:4.

See “Conquering Fear” at: http://tinyurl.com/rhlho

* * * * * * *

* How Many “Fear Nots” are there in the Bible?

It’s been said that there are 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible, one “Fear not” for every day of the year—actually there are more than 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible! Thank God because we need to be reminded to “Fear not” and trust God every day.

Many people say, “It’s a nice thought to say that there are 365 ‘Fear nots’ in the Bible, but it’s not true.” Indeed, there is not a version of the Bible that 365 times says, quote unquote, “Fear not.” For instance, the King James Version says “Fear not” or “Be not afraid” 103 times, but not 365 times.

So why do I say that there are more than 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible?

“Fear” is spoken of over 500 times in the KJV. Furthermore, in addition to the “Fear nots” many times it’s saying “Fear God,” which really means reverence God alone and do not fear anyone or anything else. Expanding the search to look at verses encouraging us not to worry or not to be anxious would add many, many more “Fear not” Scriptures. This is why I say that there are more than 365 “Fear nots” in the Bible.

From Soul Shepherding by Bill Gaultiere © 2010 http://www.soulshepherding.org/

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Persistence Pays

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“It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others], and so we never give up.”1

Author John Toland who received the Pulitzer Prize for his book, The Rising Sun, is another person who knows the power of persistence. Even though he now has an imposing record of successes, he had an even more impressive record of failures as a writer.

From the time he started writing he wrote six novels and 25 plays—none of which were accepted by publishers!

Undeterred, he kept diligently writing for 20-some years before he tasted success. He went on to write such best-sellers as Adolph Hitler, The Last 100 Days, Battle: The Story of the Bulge, and But Not in Shame.

“If you wait for perfect conditions,” advised King Solomon, “you will never get anything done. Keep on sowing your seed, for you never know which will grow—perhaps it all will.”2 Furthermore, as today’s Scripture verse puts it: “It is God himself, in his mercy, who has given us this wonderful work [of telling his Good News to others], and so we never give up!”1

To be a true success in life—in God’s view—it is imperative that we know what God’s purpose for our life is, and that we never give up pursuing that goal. And because we have all been commissioned by Christ to help spread the gospel, it is also imperative that we never give up pursuing this goal.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please give me the insight to know what part you want me to play in the work that you are doing in the world today, the courage—with your help—to do it, and the persistence to never give up doing it—no matter what. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. 2 Corinthians 4:1 (TLB)(NLT).

2. Ecclesiastes 11:4, 6 (TLB)(NLT).

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You Are Dialing the Wrong Number

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“Let us then approach the throne of grace [God] with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.”1

Some time ago when I was badly in need of practical guidance from God, half in jest—half in frustration—I picked up my bedside telephone and dialed 1-800-4-HEAVEN.

And guess what? I received a recorded message. In one of those typical monotone mechanical computer voices it said, “You— are—dialing—the—wrong—number!”

At a later time I tried calling 1-800-4-HEAVEN again. I learned that it had now been registered by a company that sells candies and cookies that they claim are a “taste of heaven.” I am “kicking” myself for not registering this number when it was available so we could give a true word about Heaven from God’s Word—the only reliable source about Heaven.

However, regarding prayer it isn’t the number we call or the words we say when we pray that matters. It’s the attitude of the heart that counts. As Jesus said to the Samaritan woman, we need to seek/worship God “in spirit and in truth.”2 That is, when we come to God, we need to be sincere and speak honestly from the heart. Furthermore, as God’s Word also reminds us: “The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth.”3

We also need to pray in faith and in harmony with God’s will. As the Bible says, “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.”4 God’s Word also states that “If we ask anything according to God’s will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the request which we have asked from him.”5

Of this we can be sure, when we come to God with a sincere heart, have faith in him, and pray in harmony with God’s will in Jesus’ name, we have the assurance that God will hear and answer our prayers—according to his will and not necessarily ours.

Suggested prayer: “Thank you God, that when I come to you with a sincere and honest heart, you always hear and answer my prayers. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

Note: For further help read, “How to Pray Effectively” online at: https://learning.actsweb.org/articles/article.php?i=26&d=1&c=2&p=1.

1. Hebrews 4:16 (NIV).

2. John 4:24.

3. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

4. Hebrews 11:6 (NIV).

5. I John 5:14-15 (NIV).

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On Being a Positive Realist:

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“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true … think on these things.”1

I am a great believer in positive thinking but, as it has been said before, if you’ve been hit by a Mac truck, all the positive thinking in the world won’t take away the pain. Yes, we still need to think positively, but face the truth and think realistically.

I have taught for a number of years in a well-know church where the founding pastor was notorious for his teaching regarding positive thinking. Many of his one-line sayings were highly motivational such as the following: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” “If it’s going to be, it’s up to me.” “The impossible problem is solved when we see that the problem is only a tough decision waiting to be made,” and many more.

While this pastor was definitely considered to be highly successful in his achievements, the sad fact is that in a time of needed change, he didn’t follow his own advice, didn’t make the tough decisions that were needed—and his life dream ultimately collapsed. As famous as he was, at a time of needed transition—perhaps because of his age and/or because of ill health—he simply was not being a positive realist.

This is a tremendous challenge for me personally as the day will come when—because of age and/or ill health—it will also be necessary for me to let go of my ministry and hand it over to someone else. I will find this extremely difficult too. This is why currently we are looking into such plans so hopefully and prayerfully all will be in place when the day comes for me to have to step down. Your prayers that God will lead regarding the future of both our U.S. and Australian offices will be greatly appreciated. Furthermore, if you have any practical advice for the future of ACTS, please share that with us. In the meantime, I trust and pray I can keep running ACTS for a good many years to come, but we want to be prepared for the future.

Under normal circumstances the first step, when an unexpected need or crisis arises, is to face and acknowledge the reality of the situation and be very practical. For instance, if I’ve been hit by a Mac truck, it goes without saying that I need to seek excellent medical help immediately, and then follow the medical advice given, and accept full responsibility for what I need to do to fully recover.

Speaking personally, in all challenging situations I have learned to always pray, not only for God’s guidance, but also for his help so that I will see the truth and reality of the overall situation, and to confront me with the truth of what I may in any way be contributing to the problem. Once I see the truth of the total picture, I can then, and only then, see if there is anything I can and need to do to help resolve the problem.

Although in another context, the words of Jesus, “You will know the truth and the truth will set you free,” can equally apply to many of life’s challenges, circumstances, problems and situations. This is because once we see the total truth and reality of the situation at hand we, more often than not, know what we can and need to do. This is very freeing.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, in every critical situation and circumstance in which I find myself, please give me the insight to see the truth and reality, not only of the total situation, but also what I may be contributing in any way to the problem at hand. And please help me to see what I can and need to do, and the courage to do it. So help me God. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Philippians 4:8 (KJV).

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Delay, Not Denial

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“The eternal God is your refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms.”1

The story is told about a lone shipwrecked survivor who landed on a lonely, uninhabited island. He managed to build a simple hut and stock it with items he was able to save from his sinking ship.

He prayed that somehow God would send someone to save him. Day by day he anxiously watched the horizon to hail any passing ships.

He was devastated when his hut caught on fire and he lost all that he had. He felt utterly forsaken by God.

The very next day a ship arrived to rescue him. “We saw your smoke signal,” said the captain.

Suggested prayer: “Dear God, please help me to trust you even in my darkest hour knowing that my times are in your hands. Thank you for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus’ name, amen.”

1. Deuteronomy 33:27 (NIV).

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