Tag Archive | God

Who are you letting run your life?

Question: My best friend since high school is very sweet but also very bossy. She keeps insisting that I join her book club even though I’ve repeatedly told her I don’t want to join. As a Christian, how do I let her down without making her mad at me?

Answer: Just be honest with her and stand firm in your decision. Be kind and gentle as you speak and pray for God to give you the right words to say. Reassure her that you appreciate her friendship and thank her for wanting to include you in her group. It’s normal to not want to be confrontational with those we care about but sometimes certain situations call for us to say and defend positions which might not make others happy. If she really is a friend, she should understand and not get mad.

Many times in life, we may encounter people who try to pressure us to do things we don’t want to do. This pressure can come from a variety of different places. For example, your religion professor tells you that you must believe that there are many ways to heaven. Don’t succumb to this pressure! If you are a Believer – having accepted Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior – you know that God’s Word tells us that there is only one way to Heaven. You know that Jesus says in John 14:6, “…I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.” (NKJV) Stand firm in the truth!

Or, another example of others trying to pressure you to live your life their way might come from famous people you admire. These celebrities might tell you that you should live any lifestyle you want. They basically tell you that if it feels good, do it! But, as a Christian, you know that this is not the truth. The Bible instructs us as to how God wants us to live our lives. He tells us that we are to live our lives to please Him. In John 14:15, Jesus says, ” If you love Me, keep My commandments.” God has provided us with His Holy Word – the Bible – to let us know the type of life He wants us to live. He wants us to repent of our sins and live holy lives… lives that honor Him!

The bottom line is this: each one of us must decide who we are going to let run our lives. We can choose to just live to our lives to please people, or we can choose to live our lives to please God. Remember in Luke 4:8, Jesus says, “You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.”

So, who are you letting run your life? If you’re a Christian, the only answer should be God!

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It’s About Time!

Feb8

Question: I want to spend more quality time with my family and reading the Bible daily, but my day seems to go by so fast. Should I feel guilty?

Answer: Often, people complain about not having enough time in a day to do all the things they want to do. For many people, they really don’t have a lot of extra time if they work full-time jobs and sometimes additional part-time jobs. Or, some people spend their day busy as stay-at-home moms or as full-time caretakers for adults in their homes. Again, these people may find having spare time in their day a challenge.

However, for many people – even people with busy schedules – finding at least some extra time in their day might be as simple as paying more attention to what they are actually spending their time doing. For example, if you normally get up at 6:00am, you could get up at 5:30am instead. That extra 30 minutes could be used for Bible reading.

If you take time after work to stop by a store or run errands, you might be able to spend only one day during the week and part of the weekend doing those chores. Or, cook multiple meals on the weekend, so you can just heat them up quickly during the week. Use this extra time to spend with your family and for Bible reading.

But, if we really want to be honest, we feel guilty because we know that we do have extra time in our day. It’s just that we choose to spend that extra time on other things. We spend that time on things like socializing after work with friends, watching sports, checking out social media, or on other activities. While these things are not necessarily bad, they may be taking a lot more of your time than you realize. Start taking note of how much time you are spending on these extra activities and decide if some of this time would be better spent with your family.

If you really think about it, we usually find time to do the things we really care about – things like favorite hobbies. We must realize that the things we spend our extra time on tend to reflect the value in which we hold these things. And, as Jesus says in Matthew 6:21, “For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” (NKJV)

Therefore, stop feeling guilty, and start making time for the things your heart should truly treasure like God and family! Start today because it really is about time!

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Did Jesus really say that?

Dec15

QUESTION: Did Jesus say that we should keep our religious beliefs private?

ANSWER: No. As Christians, we can’t keep silent about our faith if we are to follow the Great Commission of Jesus. Matthew 28:19-20 quotes Jesus giving this final message to His disciples.

Jesus said, “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen. (NKJV)

Since Jesus did say this, then indeed, we are to tell others of the “Good News” of God’s Word. But, we also must remember to pray for God’s Holy Spirit to help us to know the right times to speak about our faith to others and the right times to stay quiet and just pray for them.

God wants everyone to understand that our sin separates us from Him, because He is holy, and the wages of sin is death. But because of God’s great love for us, He sent His Son to die on the Cross to take the punishment we all deserve for our sins.

Jesus rose from death on the third day and lives in heaven. If we accept Jesus as our Savior, ask Him to forgive our sins and repent, and live our lives for Him, we too, will go to heaven one day. See John 3:16.

This salvation is available to all who choose to believe it as the only way to heaven. Thank God for His grace and mercy! We must tell others of God’s great love for them. Pray that they accept His Son, Jesus as their Savior.

Good News like this must be told, not hidden! Jesus said so! Therefore go. Spread His Good News!

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Being thankful for NOT getting what you wanted!

Nov5

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)

Follow me on Twitter: @ValClarksPlace

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?

Oct6

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

Sep10

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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One Nation Under God?

Jul11

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!

Jun7

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?

May11

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!

Apr11

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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