An attitude of hope filled with prayer

Greetings:
You’ve heard about the guy who was asked if he thought ignorance and
apathy were the two greatest problems of human nature.
He responded, “I don’t know and I don’t care!”
Well, Paul doesn’t want to see that kind of attitude in the church.
In Romans 12:12 (NLT), Paul offers exhortations about dealing with our
attitude towards difficult circumstances.
“Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.”
I like the Good News Bible version of Romans 12:12 which says, “Let
your hope keep you joyful, be patient in your troubles, and pray at
all times.
Rejoice in hope. It seems like enough of a request to patiently endure
tribulation, but we're supposed to be rejoicing all through the whole
thing.
This mandate doesn't apply exclusively to when we're facing
tribulation, but rather in our day by day attitude, no matter the
circumstances.
How many of you know on some days it's easy to rejoice; the sun is
shining, people are nice to us, and things are going our way?
However, those days don't last forever, and at some point life won't
be such a cooperative bed of roses.
How can we rejoice when life begins to seem like an endless trail of
misery and broken hopes and pain?
There's a song on “The Bible” movie sound track that deals with hope.
The lyrics talk about our craving for hope. It's very true. We all
must possess a desire, a craving for hope in our lives.
In Romans 8:24 we read, “For in this hope we were saved. But hope that
is seen is no hope at all. Who hopes for what they already have?”
Faith and hope are closely related. It's kind of like describing to
someone how chocolate tastes. Can you really put that in words?
This is the hope in which we were saved.  The hope that since Jesus
Christ died to forgive our sins and since we have accepted His
matchless gift, we now are in an unbreakable relationship with Him.
That's not a hope that can be broken by persecution, broken
relationships, shattered dreams, or anything else Satan can throw at
you.
We are also directed to be patient in tribulation.
Most of us have no clue about the tribulation that the Apostle Paul
experienced. Paul tells us II Timothy 3:12, “Indeed, all who desire to
live godly in Christ Jesus will be persecuted.”
The devil, though fighting a war already lost, will stop at nothing to
tear us down, whether through circumstances that tempt us to give up
our moral standards or through outright, vocal opposition to our
beliefs.
How does God ask us to handle tribulation? With patience.
That's the hard one for me.
We can patiently endure, knowing that no tragedy of any scale can
budge the Lord's plan for us.
The key to any problem in our life is to be steadfast in prayer.
Keep praying no matter what.
We will always be faced with circumstances we cannot handle or
control, people we cannot understand, and choices we cannot make.
We need to be in tune with the Holy Spirit to get through it. Seek his
presence in prayer. Ask for his direction in our lives. Ask for favor
when we are surrounding by circumstances that seem to be swallowing us
up. Pray for peace in the midst of the storm.
When we feel confident in our own ability to solve problems and make
decisions, we will end up eventually spiraling out of control and bad
things will continue to happen.
We must entrust our lives including our choices, relationships,
secrets, time, friendships, and everything else to God.
When you're thinking of what courses to take, wondering how to respond
to somebody you really can't stand, or struggling with a loss that
nobody else seems to think is a big deal or understand simply take it
to the Lord in prayer.
Be blessed.

Let it go, let it go.

Greetings:
Too many times we want to hang on to the 'me' in a situation and not let our trust rest with God.
We want to put God in control, but we either won't put it all on the altar or we'll pick it up before God has moved.
I'll admit letting go for me is no easy task.
I like to be in control and I am learning to trust God for things that are beyond my control.
I am constantly reminded that I serve God best when I'm stepping aside in obedience and watching God work. It's then that I realize that God really is in control.
I remember the action of Moses' mother. She physically let her baby go when she put him in the basket and placed it in the water to save him. Because she trusted God, she was given the opportunity to do more for her son than she could of ever hoped for.
What does it say in Psalm 50:15 in the Amplified Bible?
It reads: “And call on Me in the day of trouble; I will deliver you, and you shall honor and glorify Me.”
This morning, I ask you to join me in asking God to help us to be able to get out of the way and let go and let God work in our lives.
Letting go is not giving up.
Giving up is quitting.
Letting go is allowing God to direct our paths and next moves.
Letting go puts God in charge.
Letting go releases the power of God's Word to remedy the situation based on scripture.
We need to let go of our own will. We must claim as our own the difficult prayer that Jesus prayed in Luke 22:42: “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done”.
Be blessed.

Trust in all things

Greetings:
God tells us many times in The Bible to simply trust him.
We know that trusting God many times involves waiting, praying and diligently seeking his will.
As Christians we maintain a unique discipleship that is based on faith that finds expression in deed, not feelings.
How many of you have dreamed of something or a certain situation only to find yourself soon disappointed, mad at God and angry when those dreams fall apart?
I've been there too many times.
But you know, taking our frustration out on God will never provide the answer or the solution we are seeking.
In 1 Corinthians 2:5 we read: “So that your faith might not rest on man's wisdom, but on God's power.”
In man's eyes and man's limited wisdom something we seek or want might seem logical so we pray for it. But in God's eyes the time might not be right, the object of our prayers might not be in God's will or we me might have just missed it.
In Romans 12:12 we read, “Be joyful in hope; patient in affliction.”
Remember practice makes perfect. 
Our practice always starts with prayer and ends with prayer.
Pray that God opens the eyes of our heart to see him, hear him, seek him and feel his presence.
It's not always easy to praise God when the dark clouds are looming overhead. But know for sure that God does answer the prayers of those who diligently seek Him.
Be blessed.

Memories of this date linger; still seeking the truth

Greetings:
It's funny how a date in our lives sticks with us years and years later.
Today is that date in my life – August 23.
The year was 1958 – 59 years ago.
I was a five-year-old adopted kid, who was learning to be a part of my 'new' family in a small town in southern Indiana. I had been with my family since I was babe, about six weeks old.
My exact memory of that particular date is a bit fuzzy in my mind – years have a way of doing that – but the impact of what happened on that day lives on in my life and through prayer and study of God's Word have come to understand the sting of death much better.
On that day, my dad passed away – the victim of a heart attack at the age of 47.
The life of my mother changed that day,  as well as my life, the only son of this very special couple, also changed.
My particular memory of just who my Dad was is not vivid. It was a long time ago. 
I am told, he was very good athlete – especially in basketball.
I am am told, he was a kind, hardworking man, who loved his country and volunteered to serve in the United States Army during World War II. He was a religious man devoted to the Catholic Church, who went to Mass on Sunday and who wore a St. Christopher medal – which I still have –– around his neck for protection during his combat duty in New Guinea and the Philippines.
I know he and my mother, who is also now deceased, decided late in life to adopt a son, their only child.
As I grew older, I've often thought about the 'what-ifs', what if my Dad hadn't died.
I don't say that to complain or murmur about the way things turned out, but there is a void there that I don't think you can understand unless you've gone through it.
But those 'what-if' thoughts have been in my thinking pattern from time to time.
I'm sure I missed out on some things that two-parent kids experience in the process of growing, but my mother – one of the strongest persons I know even though she stood just over 5-feet tall and weighed  a few pounds over 100. She was a trooper, who took up the parenting reins alone, making sure I had everything  I needed and wanted in most cases.
As a young teen, I remember being angry when the other guys in my class would talk about doing things their their Dads – like hunting and fishing and learning about tools and working with wood.
I became heavily involved in Boy Scouts, which was a good outlet for me to be mentored and learn many of the things that my Dad surely would have taught me.
But there was a void.
Since 1988, I have been searching for my biological parents, possible siblings and any relatives. I have done the DNA test through Ancestry in recent weeks and have talked with and corresponded with several cousins, who were identified through DNA matches, which is exciting. The search goes on to find info about my biological family.  I was born in 1953 at St. Elizabeth's Home for unwed mothers in Indianapolis, IN. Having a baby out of wedlock 60 plus years ago was something of a shame. The Catholic Church, which operates the home, has my birth records sealed up tight. I pray someday I know the truth.
I say all of this to say, this day still stands out in my memory as a day that is special, but death has a new meaning since I've come to know Christ.
I hope and pray that my Dad knew Christ and had accepted Christ as his personal Savior before his time on this earth ended.  I don't have any way of knowing that and that is probably the toughest part of this all for me to accept and understand.
Once we breathe or last breath, it's too late to decide then to follow Jesus. 
Though the inscription on many tomb stones often reads "Rest in Peace," but the truth of the matter is that most people do not welcome the peaceful rest of the grave. They would rather be alive and productive. Thus, it is not surprising that the subject of death and what happens after our death always has been a matter of intense concern and speculation. After all, the death rate is still one per person. 
In the Old Testament there many references to death found in the poetic or wisdom books like Psalms, Job, and Ecclesiastes. In the New Testament the view of death comes from the perspective of Christ’s victory over death. 
Through His victory over death on the cross, Christ has neutralized the sting of death. He has abolished death. He has overcome the devil who had power over death. He has in His hand the keys of the kingdom of death as we read in Rev 1:18). He is the head of a new humanity as the first-born from the dead (Col 1:18). 
And very importantly, He causes believers to be born anew – born again – to a living hope through His resurrection from the dead as we read in 1 Pet 1:3.
Christ’s victory over death affects the believer’s understanding of physical, spiritual, and eternal death. The believer can face physical death with the confidence that Christ has swallowed up death in victory and will awaken the sleeping saints at His coming.
Believers who were spiritually "dead through trespasses and sins" have been regenerated into a new life in Christ as we read in Ephesians 4:24. 
Here's the deal and the fact of the matter, unbelievers who remain spiritually dead throughout their lives and do not accept Christ’s provision for their salvation (John 3:16), on the Day of Judgment will experience the second death that we read about in Revelation 20:6; 21:8. This is the final, eternal death from which there is no return.
Now if that doesn't get your attention and make you think and act, then you better check your pulse, because you are dead already.
I have no doubt that my Dad loved God,  my mother and I. That is a comfort. 
But did he love and follow Jesus.? Had he accepted Christ? That's an unknown that I can't answer.
God knows. 
I pray I'll get to see my Dad again in heaven. There's a lot of catching up that we have to do.
Be blessed.

We are uniquely made unique

Greetings:
God created us with our own unique physical traits, personalities, character, temperaments, talents and abilities.
Even in what we call identical twins, there are differences.
We each have our own unique identifying feature that's called a fingerprint. There are no two of them the same.
God created us different for a reason to fill a need in his overall plan.
Look to the skies on the next clear day and night.
You see a sun, a moon and many different stars.
None of the stars are the same.
In 1 Corinthians 15:41 in the Amplified Edition we read, “The sun is glorious in one way, the moon is glorious in another way, and the stars are glorious in their own [distinctive] way; for one star differs from and surpasses another in its beauty and brilliance.”
As Christians, let it be each of our goals to find our individual role and place in God's plan. When  we struggle to be like others, we lose our identity, our uniqueness our individuality that our Creator intended for each of us.
We are all called to be ministers. That doesn't mean we will ever step behind a pulpit and preach, but we do have a job and a calling in the body of Christ. When we do it, we should do it as to the service of Christ.
In 1 Peter 4:10-11, it becomes clear what our role as members of The Church is.
It reads in the NIV, "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do as speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ...."
Look at a tree. It has many branches. Each branch is different and unique in size and structure but are attached to a central trunk that bears nourishment  from the roots and promotes grow in each of those branches.
Let God be our tree trunk, providing us with spiritual food to promote our spiritual growth and maturity.
Let us be satisfied that we are different. But in our state of being unique individuals, we can learn our role, our purpose, our own ministry in service to God as one body.
Be blessed.

Learn to walk trusting God

Greetings:
God's Word tells us to trust him and not lean unto our own understanding.
That's easy to say and hard to do.
Pastor/author Rick Warren says, “The biggest mistake people make when we're overwhelmed is focusing on the problem. We don't look to God. We put our eyes on the problem instead of God.  When you ask many people, “How are you doing?” they say, “I'm doing OK — under the circumstances.” What are you doing under the circumstances? Who put you there? Why don't you get on top of the circumstances? Circumstances are like the mattress on your bed. Get on top of them, and you'll rest easy. Get underneath them, and you're going to suffocate.”
Do we view every event, every sorrow, every prayer with the unshakable conviction that God is totally, spotlessly trustworthy?
That's where we mess up. We want to trust in anything rather than the Lord. We'll trust in our own abilities, in our boss's judgment of us, in our money, our doctor, even in an airline pilot. But the Lord?
It's easy to trust in things we can see.
That's where faith comes in.
Hebrews 11:1 reads, "Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will actually happen, it gives us assurance about things we cannot see."
When you really trust in the Lord, we feel as if the weight of the world has been lifted off our shoulders. The pressure's off us now and on God, and he can handle it perfectly.
When we believe Him we open the doorway of our Spirit to let Our Father move in His power mightily through us.  He will never do anything against our will or desires.  All He asks us to do is trust and believe Him.
In Mark 9:23 Jesus said to a man, "If you can believe, all things are possible to him who believes."
All of our coins and paper currency contain the statement, "In God We Trust".
We need to put that statement into action in our lives.
My prayer this morning is simple.
I want to love Him more, seek Him earnestly, and trust Him with every day, every circumstance, every desire that I have.
God's thoughts, God's ways, God's plan, God's timing – they are still mysteries to me, and they are so much higher than I am.
I need to trust Him to teach me to trust Him.
It takes time. It takes patience. It takes prayer.
Be blessed.

Let God breathe life into you

Greetings:
Recently I had to add some air in my car tires and I was reminded that a tire usually loses air pressure slowly.
This can greatly affect the efficiency of our car in terms of ride comfort and fuel economy.
I also learned that air in tires is so important that we now have to pay for it when it is in a 'fix-a-flat can or at a local convenience store.
I  remember the days when a service station provided tire check free of charge, but I guess air these days has a new value.
I can still drive on under-inflated tires — just not very efficiently.
Likewise, we lose “efficiency” in our Christian life the same way tires lose air pressure –– very slowly. When we finally are stopped dead in our tracks by sin or failure, it’s usually not because of a blow-out. It is usually because we failed to perform daily spiritual maintenance such as prayer, worship, Bible study, service to others, and obedience.
Have you checked your spiritual air pressure lately? Are you operating for the Lord at peak efficiency? Be warned that failing to perform daily spiritual maintenance can ultimately leave you stranded.
So how can we ensure that our faith won’t leave us stranded?
How can we have a “pumped-up” faith that will go the distance?
These answers are in 1 Thessalonians 3 where Paul states, “Afflictions are not accidents—they are appointments.”
1 Thessolonians 3:7-6 (Amplified Bible) says , “Brethren, for this reason, in [spite of all] our stress and crushing difficulties we have been filled with comfort and cheer about you [because of] your faith (the leaning of your whole personality on God in complete trust and confidence).
Because now we [really] live, if you stand [firm] in the Lord.”
Standing firm in the Lord is sometimes an uncomfortable place to be. But, if we are prepared and pumped up in our spirit we can march forth with confidence, like a well-prepared athlete who knows his or her ability because they have worked hard behind the scenes in preparation.
If we want to build a rock-hard faith we will have to increase our intensity and prepare our faith.
Faith is like a muscle — we’ve got to use it or you’ll lose it.
Sometimes we've got to push ourselves to the limit.
If we really believed that Jesus was going to return today, would we would work out with a renewed intensity, vigor and sense of urgency. Prayer, worship, praise and service to others would not be a chore, but something we delight in.
God has a purpose in all of the afflictions we face and we must depend upon Him to bring us through the fire. The fire is not so hot if we have prepared ourselves and built up our faith.
Be blessed.