Being thankful for NOT getting what you wanted!
Question: Should we give thanks for unanswered prayers?
Answer: Yes, give thanks to God because He always answers our prayers. Remember, His answer may be yes, no, or not yet, but He always answers. We are reminded of this in 1 John 5:14-15, ” Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” (NKJV) Note that what we pray for must still go along with God’s will for our lives. God’s will and our desires may not match. That said, God very much wants us to continue to pray to Him for the things we feel we want or need. We usually enthusiastically give God thanks when He answers our prayers with a “yes.” Of course, when we do this, we are doing the right thing. However, it’s very important to remind ourselves to give thanks even when God’s answer is “no.” Believers know that while we may think we know what is best for us, God truly knows what’s best for us in every situation of our lives. We must also know that our ways are not necessarily His ways, and our preferred timing for things to happen, is not always His timing for things to happen.
Here are two examples of God knowing what’s best for us better than we do. Consider the twenty-something young lady who has a strong desire to get married and even has her eyes set on the exact young man she considers her perfect match. He’s handsome, successful in his career, and regularly attends church. She prays to God to bless her to get married to this fine young man. After the two have dated for a while, the young man seems to lose interest in her and goes off to eventually marry someone else. Our young lady is crushed, and she doesn’t understand why God didn’t answer her prayer with a “yes.” Twenty years later, we find our young lady happily married to a wonderful man she first met in her thirties. She is surprised to learn that the young man she prayed to marry decades earlier is now on his third divorce. According to his ex-wives, he had been a terrible husband. Our lady is now very happy God answered “no” to her earlier prayer.
A different example: a middle-aged man prays to God to get a new career position that he thinks is just right for him. He’d be working for a great company and making a much larger salary than he’s making in his current position — something especially important as he starts to get closer to retirement age. However, this man watches in disbelief as someone else gets that prized position. He can’t understand what he had done so wrong that God would not reward him with the job of his heart’s desire. Later, it turns out the person taking his dream job lasts less than a year. The company down-sizes and that position gets eliminated. That person is now unemployed. Our middle-aged man is happy he still had his job. He’s also very happy that God answered his earlier prayer with a “no.”
If we are being really honest with ourselves, most of us can probably recall times in our lives when we were very upset when God said “no” to us. Likewise, as in these two examples, we can look back at one or more of these “no’s” and be thankful. We now shudder at the thought of how things would be if God’s answer had been “yes.” As believers, we know that we will never understand in this lifetime, why God answers us in the ways He does. Also, God knows, understands, and cares when we are hurt and disappointed when He doesn’t answer all of our prayers with a “yes.” He wants us to trust that He knows what is best and take comfort in this knowledge. We must pray to have stronger faith and trust in God. Then, we will be spiritually equipped for those times when we need to be thankful for NOT getting what we wanted!
(Reposted from my November 21, 2013 Blog Post)
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Helpful Links:
Focus on the Family http://www.focusonthefamily.com
Crown Financial Ministries http://www.crown.org
The Christian Broadcasting Network http://www.cbn.com
World Magazine http://www.worldmag.com
Are you letting fear control your life?
Question: After hearing about so many scary events happening in the world, I’m almost afraid to leave my house. Help!
Answer: From natural disasters like hurricanes and earthquakes destroying cities to increasing local crime and terrorist attacks, there’s plenty of news to cause fear. But dangerous events and crimes, while seeming to be on the rise, are actually nothing new. Jesus told His disciples to expect various types of troubling events. In Matthew 24: 6-7, Jesus says, “And you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. See that you are not troubled; for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines, pestilences, and earthquakes in various places.” ( NKJV )
Our God IS an awesome God! He wants us to remember that He knows that Satan spreads evil in the world. God knows there are many things that make us fearful. But, as the Apostle Paul tells us in 2 Timothy 1:7, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.” As Christians, we are to put our faith and trust in God. We are to pray to God to protect us wherever we go. And, pray for wisdom to know when we should stay where we are and not go in order to avoid danger.
If you have accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, asked Him to forgive your sins, and repented of your sins, you know your life is now in the hands of Jesus. He has empowered you with His Holy Spirit to guide and protect you. He will keep you in His loving care until He decides to call you home to heaven. Until that time comes, God wants us to continue to live our lives and to live our lives in the ways that please Him.
Therefore, you should continue to enjoy life with your family and friends. Enjoy being the hands and feet of Jesus by helping those in need. Enjoy doing all you can to show God’s love to others…especially to those who are not yet Believers! Pray for wisdom to know when and how to avoid dangerous situations. But do not make yourself a slave to the fears caused by that “thief,” the devil. Remember the words of Jesus found in John 10:10, “The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly.” Amen!
So, go out and enjoy that abundant life God has planned for you!
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The re-education of the Christian
Question: How can I help my child maintain Christian values when challenged at school?
Answer: Those who want to change long-standing moral beliefs in our society know that the easiest place to start is with those easiest to influence. The old saying, “the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world,” can be true. Any parent, teacher, or child care worker will tell you that children are like little sponges ready to “soak up” whatever they are exposed to. That’s why children can be quicker than some adults to learn the latest dance craze or technology device. So whoever becomes the first ones to teach them what to believe will possess a great deal of influence in these young lives. As Christian parents, we are the ones who should make sure our children know what they are to believe. We cannot afford to leave this teaching to others who may not share our faith.
Unlike in decades past, American schools no longer reinforce traditional Judeo-Christian values. Today, they teach such things as sex outside of marriage is fine as long as you use birth control. At some schools, they’ll even tell you how to get the birth control or actually provide it for you. Also, they might teach students that if they believe the biblical values taught them by their parents, they are being naive and old-fashioned. Since most young people spend a great deal of their lives in school, the values these “institutions of learning” teach really do matter. Christian parents must stay aware of what values their children are being taught in school and discuss these issues at home.
There are many examples of schools trying to force Christian students to hide or change their beliefs. For example, a Christian student at the University of Wisconsin was told by her professor to remove all religious references from her class project. (See the story: http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/college-student-told-to-remove-religious-references-from-project.html) Legal Counsel representing this student had to remind school officials that students still have their First Amendment right to religious freedom even while they are attending public schools and universities.
High school Christian class valedictorians have also faced instances of push back when they wanted to include their faith in their speeches. Several have been threatened with having their microphones cut off and worse if they gave credit to God in their speeches. Jeremy G. Dys writes about this in his article titled, “When ‘God’ is a bad word at graduation.” (Read it here: http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2015/06/11/when-god-is-bad-word-at-graduation.html?intcmp=obinsite.)
Of course, plenty of Christian students make it through school with little or no real problems expressing their beliefs in school. For example, students are still allowed to have student-led Bible Clubs alongside other clubs at school. A school in California even welcomed Bible clubs held at their school, attracting even some gang members who attended and wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. They no longer wanted to be in the gangs. (Read: http://www.christianheadlines.com/blog/gang-members-being-converted-through-california-schools-bible-classes.html.)
Christian students should be taught to not be surprised or feel defeated when faced with opposition to their faith in school. Jesus warned in Luke 21:17, “And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake.” (NKJV) And, when challenged concerning your faith, pray to God for wisdom to know what to do. For Jesus promised in Luke 21:15 that He “will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist.” Amen!
Updated and reposted from my 9/30/15 blog
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“We’re with you, Jesus…as long as we don’t get a better offer.”
Question: Why are some Christians siding with those who stand against biblical teachings?
Answer: Sadly, many Christians have more of a “What’s in it for me?” attitude than a “put God first” attitude. They don’t take the time to examine themselves to see if they are making choices that please God. Instead, when they make choices on how best to deal with society’s issues, they mostly consider how the outcome will benefit them or the people they care more about. They don’t put the priority on what is right according to God’s Holy Word. If the two sides don’t match, it’s God’s side that takes a back seat in their choices.
For too many Christians, not only are they looking out for themselves first, but they also tend to side with what is popular with those they admire. For example, when some Christians are at parties with friends who are drinking heavily, making crude jokes, or belittling those who don’t embrace their sinful views on social issues, these Christians will likely remain silent. They don’t want to look unintelligent or seem like a religious extremist if they offer a biblical view on these topics. They also fear being excluded from future party invite lists or being labeled intolerant because they aren’t seen as embracing sinful lifestyles.
Other Christians fear losing favor with their boss at work. They’ve caught on to the unwritten rule that you never openly disagree with the boss if you want to get promoted. So, to stay in the good graces of their boss, they might choose to simply go along with employers or co-workers’ requests to donate to causes or organizations that the boss supports. They’ll agree to donate their money and even their time to these causes even if these causes promote views that go against the teachings of God’s Word. They choose getting ahead on the job before standing for their faith and refusing to participate in these sin-promoting activities.
Even more far-reaching in impact is when these Christians vote for politicians who clearly state that they are planning to push for legislation that goes against biblical teaching. These politicians promise good things like creating more jobs or helping the poor. Therefore, these Christians are willing to overlook the sinful things they also promise to do, like supporting abortions and redefining marriage to be something other than the biblical marriage of one man with one woman. Again, they choose to make God’s teachings take a back seat to the political promises they hope to get. These choices not only negatively affect them, they negatively affect the entire society and lead them away from God.
Christians must stop being hypocrites — praising Jesus and declaring their love for God on Sunday, then turning their backs on God when they think they’re getting a “better” offer on Monday! They must remember that Jesus says in John 14:15, “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” (NKJV) In Exodus 20:3, God says, “You shall have no other gods before Me.” When Christians choose social status, money, power, or any other thing that makes them put God after it, they are making these things more important than God is in their lives. They are making Jesus take a back seat to what they think is a better offer. We must always remember, though, that there is no better offer than receiving God’s gift of the saving grace of His Son, Jesus Christ, and living our lives to please God!
(Updated and re-posted from my February 18, 2016 blog.)
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One Nation Under God?
Question: What should Christians do to reverse our nation’s moral decline?
Answer: Pray! Christians know that prayers do, indeed, change things. The Bible tells us in 2 Chronicles 7:14, “If My people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” (NKJV) As Christians, we must make sure that we are living our own lives to please God. We need to repent from our own sins before we seek to witness to others about their need to turn from their sins. Unbelievers can often spot a hypocrite, and they are understandably turned off by them.
Plus, as Christians, we need not despair as we see evil gaining ground by way of the new laws that are being made in this country which go against the Word of God. Laws such as the ones attempting to redefine marriage or promote abortions, among others, are regularly in the news. Believers need not feel defeated as we witness polls that show the majority of people favoring what God’s Word clearly calls sin. The Bible tells us that God will not be mocked (Galatians 6:7). He is still in control. When a nation continues to be disobedient to God, it invites the wrath of God upon it. Each person will have to stand before Him one day to account for his or her deeds. God does not want us to reject Him and be lost. Therefore, be thankful that, “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16). The Bible says our sin separates us from God, who is holy. He sent His Son, Jesus, to die on the cross for us, taking the punishment we deserve. We only need to accept Jesus as our Savior and Lord, ask God to forgive us our sins, and repent by turning from our sinful ways. Only by doing these things will we be saved and go to Heaven.
Additionally, America’s founding fathers were wise to include recognition of God in such places as the Declaration of Independence. Dr. Harold Pease, an expert on the US Constitution, wrote about the five references to God found in the Declaration of Independence. Most famous is the following reference about our Creator: “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” (See http://www.libertyunderfire.org/2011/07/five-references-to-god-in-the-declaration-of-independence/). Also, in 1954, US President Dwight Eisenhower was wise to get Congress to add the words “under God” to the Pledge Of Allegiance. ( See http://www.ushistory.org/documents/pledge.htm). There are even carved images of the story of Moses in the building of the US Supreme Court. Despite the many wrongs this country has contributed to, like slavery and segregation, this country has done many other things right. For example, this country remains one of the nation of Israel’s closest allies. This country continues to be one that gives the most to address the world’s humanitarian needs. This nation continues to be considered the most powerful in the world. America has been blessed. America has a history of acknowledging God in its historical documents, national buildings, and patriotic songs. Most of its citizens call themselves Christian.
Therefore, America needs to remain a country which recognizes the existence of Almighty God. We would be wise to remember the part of the Pledge that says we are “one nation under God.” For the Bible tells us in Psalm 34:12, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the LORD…” We need to remember to rely on the teachings of the Bible when making laws for our country and not govern in ways that go against God’s Word. This six-minute video clip of famous pastor Dr. Tony Evans uses humor to remind us of this very thing. See http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/07/27/dr-tony-evans-gods-immune-system-in-the-culture-is-the-church/# Enjoy!
(Blog is a re-post from 7/23/13.)
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Thank God for second chances!
Question: I’m afraid I’ve messed up so many times God won’t forgive me again. Am I right?
Answer: No. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” ( 1 John 1:9 NKJV) God looks at our hearts. He knows when we are being sincere in our requests for His forgiveness or just saying words we don’t really mean. He also knows that we will keep “messing up” at times because we are all sinners. So, as we seek forgiveness, we must also pray for God to help us repent, or turn away from, our sins and live our lives to please Him.
And, just as we want God to forgive us when we sin and give us another chance to start over, God expects us to forgive others. He does not want us to be like the servant described in Matthew 18:23-35. In this story, we see how the king granted one person forgiveness of the enormous debt he owed the king. But, this same person refused to extend that same type of forgiveness to someone else who owed him a much smaller debt. This person ended up suffering punishment for his failure to forgive. In Luke 17:3, Jesus says, “Take heed to yourselves. If your brother sins against you, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him.”
However, just because we are expected to forgive, it doesn’t mean we stop being wise. God also gives us wisdom. The Apostle Paul warns us in Ephesians 5:17, “Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” If someone is abusing you or committing some other sin, the Bible tells us that is wrong. That would not be God’s best for your life. You can and should forgive and pray for others without tolerating their sin.
Remember that because God extends His grace to us, He will give us another chance when we mess up. He will forgive us of our sins if we ask Him with a sincere heart. God wants us to repent of our sins and live our lives to please Him. We start to please Him when we accept His only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. Jesus is the only One God gave us who took the punishment of death we deserved for our sins. Since sin separates us from a holy God, we can only go to Heaven by accepting Jesus Christ as our Savior, asking forgiveness, and repenting of our sins.
Thank God for second chances!
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Are you doing His will or your will?
Question: I’ve been praying to get a job at a certain company for years. I keep applying, but I still haven’t gotten the job. Why won’t the Lord answer my prayers?
Answer: Maybe He already has! Just because you haven’t gotten the answer you want doesn’t mean God hasn’t answered. There could be many reasons you haven’t gotten that job. One reason being that you may not be ready for it due to your lack of having the necessary skills needed. Or, maybe God knows that you need to work at a different company for some reason. The bottom line is that if God wants you to have a certain job, He will make sure you get it. Our God is all-powerful! Also, since He is all-knowing, He knows what company is best for you. Still another possibility is that God does plan to give you a job at that company… just, not yet!
Too often, we think we already know, on our own, what is the best path to take in our life. But we fail to pray for the Lord to guide our thoughts, plans, and decision-making. We must always pray to follow God’s will for our lives even when we find this to be difficult. Hebrews 13:20-21 says, “Now may the God of peace who brought up our Lord Jesus from the dead…. make you complete in every good work to do His will, working in you what is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.” ( NKJV )
Therefore, we must not put our trust in ourselves to plan what is best for us. We must seek Jesus, through prayer, to give us wisdom and direct our paths. Jeremiah 29:11 reminds us why we need to do this. Here God says, “‘For I know the plans I have for you,’ declares the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.'” (NIV)
Thankfully, we can always trust that our Heavenly Father knows what is best for us. He knows what paths we need to take. He knows the desires of our heart, and He wants what is best for us. So, as we make these important decisions in our lives, remember Matthew 6:33. In that verse Jesus says, “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.” (KJV )
Remember: God knows what’s best. Stay in His will for your life!
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You may think you’re hiding, but Jesus knows!
Question: Being low-income, I usually ask for the senior discount at stores even though I’m a few years younger than the required age. Is this wrong?
Answer: Yes. You are being dishonest with these merchants, and you know it. Even if you try to justify yourself by saying these store owners are rich, and you live on a low-income, you’re still lying. (See Exodus 20:16) And, before you say that’s just Old Testament law, remember what the Apostle Paul wrote in Romans 3:31. He said, “Do we then make void the law through faith? Certainly not! On the contrary, we establish the law.” ( NKJV )
Unfortunately, even Believers sometimes think their behavior can be hidden from God if they can hide them from man. How else can you explain people who proclaim Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior yet purposely commit sinful acts? Most of us can name more than one such person who has tried to hide their sins. These sins have ranged from acts of sexual immorality and cheating on their income taxes to stealing and being mean to people. Even recent news stories include cases of politicians who proclaim their belief in traditional marriage, then hurt their Christian witness after being caught cheating on their spouse. We also have heard the heart-breaking stories of children being sexually abused by their pastors and church leaders. All these people thought they were hiding their sinful behaviors.
While you can sometimes hide your actions from man, you can’t hide them from God! The Lord says in Jeremiah 23:24, “Can anyone hide himself in secret places, so I shall not see him?… Do I not fill heaven and earth?….” And, Hebrews 4:13 says, “…all things are naked and open to the eyes of Him to whom we must give account.” So, even though you may think you are getting away with your sins because you can “pull one over” on your fellow-man, Jesus still knows all about the things you do. And, God will not be tricked by you! He will hold you accountable for your actions. In fact, Galatians 6:7 says, ” Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap.”
However, because of God’s great love for us, He has provided the only way for us to be saved from the fatal punishment for our sins. (See John 3:16) And that way is by our accepting God’s one and only Son, Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior! Romans 3:23 says, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” Therefore, we all need a Savior since we can’t ever be good enough to save ourselves. Jesus, the only one to be sinless and perfect, took the punishment we deserve for our sins by dying on the Cross. Praise God, He rose to life again on the third day!
So, thankfully, we can receive God’s free gift of salvation! Accept Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Ask Him to forgive you of your sins. Turn away from your sinful behavior (repent) and start living your life to please God! The time has come to stop hiding!
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Be careful who you listen to for the truth!
Question: One of my college religion professors told us that we should not interpret the Bible as being literally given by God. Is he right?
Answer: No. Your professor is wrong! That’s another reason why we should read God’s Holy Word for ourselves, so we can learn the truth. According to 2 Timothy 3:16-17, “All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.” (NKJV)
Therefore, your professor can be added to a list of people you must be careful of, when you listen to them, if you are a Believer. The Apostle John warns Christians not to believe everything they are told about matters pertaining to their faith. For there will be many claiming they are speaking moral truths, but in reality, they are lying! (Read 1 John 4:1-6) If they are telling you things that agree with what the Bible says, they are speaking the truth. But if they say other things that go against what the Bible says, they are not speaking God’s truth.
Sadly, instead of using this standard as their moral guide, too many people tend to blindly believe people simply based on the person’s likeability or popularity. That’s why you can find even Believers turning their back on God’s teachings to support the sinful teachings of their favorite celebrities and politicians. These famous people may be intelligent, beautiful, talented, and rich. So people admire and want to support them. And, in the case of the politicians, people may like the promises they make to them and just ignore it when those same politicians are clearly supporting sin. Jesus warns us about these “false teachers.” (See Matthew 7:15-19) Don’t be fooled into listening to their sinful teachings.
The Bible also tells us that people may prefer to listen to those who simply tell them what they want to hear. For example, 2 Timothy 4: 3-4 says, “For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.” In other words, they don’t want to listen to God.
So, Believers, be careful who you listen to for the truth. Know whether or not you are hearing the truth according to God’s Holy Word. Study the Bible for yourself and pray that God’s Holy Spirit will help you discern the difference between when you are hearing the truth and when you are hearing a lie. Only follow God’s truth!
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