"Course Of Action"

"And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them." Acts 16:25 

When we are going through trials, trying times and difficulties, there are three courses of action that we can take.

 

1) We can use the weapon of God's word. When the devil came to Jesus in the wilderness to tempt Him to sin, Jesus used the "sword of the Spirit" (God's word/the scriptures) as His course of action to withstand the temptations and put the devil on the run. "It is written".

 

2) We can "stand still" and allow God to fight the battle for us. When Jehoshaphat was king of Judah, the Moabites, Ammonites and many other countries were coming against him in battle. The word that the Lord sent to him was- "Ye shall not need to fight in this battle: set yourselves, stand ye still, and see the salvation of the Lord with you, O Judah and Jerusalem: fear not, nor be dismayed; to morrow go out against them: for the Lord will be with you." (2 Chronicles 20:17) His course of action was to obey God's word to be still and let God fight for him. 

 

3) We praise the Lord. When Paul and Silas were in prison, they didn't whine and cry, they didn't murmur and complain, they didn't make loud threats to the jailors, they didn't get angry with God, instead they sang praises and prayed. There are times when a song isn't within us, when a praise is not felt, when praise seems like the last thing that you can do, that's when you just have to step out in faith and say, "Hallelujah any how". You just have to decide to praise the Lord in spite of the circumstance. These men were sitting in prison at midnight with their feet in stocks. Praise was the last thing a person could think about under those conditions, yet it was exactly what they did. 

 

You may be going through a midnight time- a time of darkness, grief and despair. You may be sitting in a prison- a prison of fear, dread, hopelessness. You may have your feet bound by stocks- unable to go forward or retreat, stuck in a situation with no freedom in sight. It is then when your course of action has to be to "praise the Lord". It is in these times that you have to look past your circumstances, past the conditions, past what you see and praise Him anyway. As you do, the darkness of hopelessness and despair will begin to break forth into the light of hope. As you do the chains of fear will begin to loosen. As you do the prison doors with shake, and you will experience an inner change and freedom even though the situation may not change but stay the same.

 

Have a great day. In trying times, you have a course of action to take. One course is that of praise. 

 

For further reading:

Acts 16:12-26

Psalm 46:10

2 Chronicles 20:1-17

Matthew 4:1-11

Ephesians 6:11-17

"He's Touched"

"For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15 

Many people put their belief, trust and hope in many different things. Some put their trust in money; some in false gods; some in concepts; others in philosophies and some even put it in self. None of these things can give you comfort and hope. They don't have the power or ability to do so. There is only one that we can put our complete trust, faith, and hope in, and that is Jesus.

 

Why? What makes Him different? Why is He trustworthy? Why can we find help from Him when we can't find help in other things? It is because He is "touched with the feelings of our infirmities". He knows what it is like. He became a man and experienced what we experience. He knows what infirmities are-- He suffered times of physical weakness, He was hungry, He was thirsty, He was tempted. (But keep in mind that He never sinned though.)

 

This morning know this-- He is touched by your infirmities. He knows your body is feeble and lacks strength. He knows you don't always understand the things that happen to you. He knows you aren't always able to accomplish the things you would like to accomplish because of your inabilities. He knows that you are weak to combat the cravings of your flesh on your own. He knows that there are times you are not able to bear the trials you are going through. 

 

"He is touched". He sympathizes with you. He has compassion on you and feels in His heart what you are going through. And unlike anyone else, He doesn't just "feel for you", He is able to do something about it. He gives you His power and strength to continue to go forward when you are feeling weak. He gives you His grace to help you bear up under the trying times. He upholds you with His strong right arm. He fights your battles for you. He is the glory and lifter of your head. He bears your sorrows and carries your grief. He imparts His peace to your heart and mind.

 

He is touched this morning by your infirmities because He knows what you are going through. He is touched this morning in a very deep way. He is touched because He loves you and cares about you. So look to Him today and cast your infirmities on Him. He has already dealt with them and will help you deal with them today.

 

Have a great day. Jesus is touched by your feelings of weakness. 

 

For further reading:

Isaiah 53:3; 61:1

2 Corinthians 12:9

John 14:27

Matthew 9:36

"Our God And Our Father"

"Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father." Galatians 1:4 

"God and our Father". For thousands of years mankind has been serving gods. Each culture has had their gods that they have prayed to and worshipped. Of course, there is only one true and living God and all others have been and are false. But in man's worship of these false gods, we see a certain distinction that separates who/what they worship from the Christian God. Their gods are only an object of worship and service. That is all. They bow before them, they seek to make them happy, they call upon them for help... period, that is all. What sets our God apart is the fact that He not only is the object of our worship and service, but He is "God AND our FATHER". 

 

He is God who desires a relationship with us. He allows us to enter into a relationship with Him. He comes into a relationship with us through His Son Jesus that He refers to as a Father to children. Through our faith in Jesus Christ, God becomes our Father. The Father who loves us, who takes care of us, who provides for us, and who cares about what we are going through. It is not all just a "one way street" like those others where they can only hope to please their god by their acts. All the action is on the adherent's part in hopes that their god will do something for them. For us the action is more on the part of our God and what He has done and does for us-- He gave, He so loved, He called, He draws near, etc.

 

God is our God, never lose sight of that and give Him the honor and reverence that He is due. But also remember that He is your loving Heavenly Father who really loves you and cares about you and desires a close personal relationship with you as well. 

 

Have a great day. Our God is not just our God, He is also our Father who loves us.

 

For further reading:

John 1:12; John 3:16,17

1 John 3:1,2

Psalm 68:5

 

"There's Benefits"

"Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then am I strong." 2 Corinthians 12:10 

Who would "take pleasure" in infirmities, persecution, distress? That is unheard of. We take pleasure in just the opposite- freedom from them. Yet the apostle rejoiced in the fact that he was going through such hardships. The word for pleasure means: to do willingly; to be well pleased with, to be favorably inclined toward. One might think that either Paul was crazy or he had discovered something good about them.

 

The fact is, he did find something beneficial. He understood that it was in those times that he discovered that the power of Christ rest upon him. It was in the times of infirmities that he discovered strength instead of weakness. It was during such trials that he saw the marvelous grace of God, the peace of God that passes understanding, the wisdom of God manifested, and the glory of God revealed. 

 

A friend and I were talking the other day about her son. He is still in high school and also has a part time job. She said he loves his job but not school. She wished he was equally as excited about school as he is about the job. The reason he likes his job more is because he sees the benefits from it-- a pay check. He doesn't see the benefits of school at the moment but the education he is getting now will benefit him throughout the rest of his life. We are like this young man, we see more benefits in having a carefree, easy, no problems life. We like those things that give us "instant gratification" and make us happy now. The things that Paul described don't. Yet, just because we don't see the benefits at the moment, just because we don't see how anything good can come from them, there are benefits that we receive that will sustain us for the rest of our lives.

 

While not everything we go through is good, there is something beneficial that can come out of it- God will see to it because He knows how to work all things together for our good. When we start looking at our trials in this light, then we too will find ourselves "taking pleasure" in them instead of complaining about them. 

 

Have a great day. Look at what you are going through in light of the benefits that are attached to it. 

 

For further reading:

Romans 8:28; 5:1-5

"The Place of Grace"

"And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me." 2 Corinthians 12:9 

Three times Paul prayed for the removal of the "thorn in his flesh". The scripture above was God's answer. The Lord didn't say He would remove it, instead He told Paul that His grace and strength would be there with him. To me this indicates that there are some things that we will have to walk through. There is no getting out of them. They are a part of life, a part of our spiritual journey, and a part of the process of developing Christ's character in our lives. But just because we have to go through them, it doesn't mean that we go through them alone.

 

God gave Paul, and us, a promise-- "My grace is sufficient, my strength is made perfect in your weakness". This is one of the most comforting promises in the Bible. It is God's own grace and His own strength that will be with us- not that of another person. His grace will always be enough- it will never fall short, it will never come up lacking, it will not run out. His strength will always be strong enough- it will not need any outside help; it will not grow tired or weary. 

 

God not only gives grace, but His very presence is also grace. He not only gives strength, He is strength. Where He is His grace and strength are. For the born-again believer He is dwelling inside of us so that means grace and strength are always present within us. Grace is not just an event. It is not something that only comes upon us when we are in need or going through a trying time. The grace of God is present with us always. Grace is a Person (the Lord), it is an endowment, it is our "traveling companion", but it is also a "place"- the place (state) in which we live.

 

It is grace that saves us. It is grace that keeps us saved. It is grace that gets us out of bed each morning and gives us the air we breathe. It is grace that keeps us from losing our mind when problems get more than we can bear. It is grace that keeps us from throwing in the towel. It is grace that gives us courage in the face of adversity. It is grace that gives us peace when confusion is present. It is grace that keeps us pressing forward when we think about retreating. It is grace that holds us together when we feel like falling apart. It is grace that gives us the ability to put one foot in front of the other and keep going on. 

 

Take time to thank the Lord for His grace today. It is ever present with you because He is ever present with you.

 

Have a great day. God's grace is the place in which we live. 

 

For further reading:

Ephesians 4:7

2 Corinthians 9:8; 13:14