Tag: self-doubt and hopelessness

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How do I Know That Going to Church is Right for Me?

Why do I need to go to church? I have heard that question many times. I have an excerpt today from my book “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World,”  that may give you some answers to that question.

This book also reaches out to those that suffer from anxiety, fear depression addictions, self-doubt and hopelessness. You can order this book by clicking on the “Bookstore,” icon and the top of this page.

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Chapter 21

The Church Is Prayer-Conditioned

 

Everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock.

Matthew 7:24–25

 

The church today is often at the center of controversy—from within and without. The far right has its agenda, but it isn’t always right. The far left’s agenda causes it to sometimes be left out of the mainstream. Lawsuits against churches run from those bordering on frivolous (zoning controversies) to more serious charges like those against clergy who have molested children.

We are told in the Bible that this kind of divisive behavior will increase so that brothers will be against brothers, fathers against sons, wives against husbands. Not only is the controversy from outside the church, it takes place right within its walls. That is one reason there are so many different denominations. When people agree to disagree, the easiest thing to do is leave and form a congregation more to their liking.

Why does this happen? Why do people allow their differences to separate them from the true purpose of the church—to worship God?

 

I see one glaring reason: the lack of prayer in the church. So many ministers are what some call “current-events” ministers. They do not preach from the Bible, and speak instead about issues of the day on which they have an opinion. In the process, they do not bathe their ministry in prayer. 

That is not about worship; it is leaning on a political agenda instead. That is not what God had in mind when He laid out plans for the early church in the book of Acts and throughout the epistles.

Without prayer, a church’s foundation is laid in sand, and it will topple and crumble as easily as Saddam Hussein’s statue did in theIraqwar or as easily as a sand castle, no matter how carefully it was engineered. The church will go over a cliff just like many sheep do when they are all running in the same direction. The leader of the church will do all he can to stop them, but they will run on without him to their death.

There is a way to do a U-turn in all of this. Pray without ceasing! Here are some crucial words from Paul the Apostle: “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7).

Is that hard to understand? I’ve told my students that when they lose their way in their studies to go back to the basics. What is the basic foundation of your math problem? What is the basic idea behind a sentence structure? What is the basic thought about this culture? The basics! Stick with them and you’ll figure it out.

The basics of a church’s survival are prayer and more prayer. It is using prayer to seek God’s will. It is using prayer to plan for the next revival. It is using prayer to withstand the enemy, who wants your church to fail.

Two things should be happening within a church to make it a growing viable church: The minister needs to be preaching from the Bible, and there has to be powerful prayer support from within.

Having the church prayer-conditioned will make for cool summers and provide for lots of spiritual growth.

I have attended several churches over the years. I didn’t stay for much more than one sermon in those that weren’t built on the proper foundation—Bible preaching and prayer. They refuse to let God run the show and eventually find themselves with declining attendance. They didn’t realize they were worshipping in God’s house, not their own house.

Check out the foundation of your church. Is it prayer-conditioned? Does it have the Bible as its guide? Or do you hear about the latest best-selling book or about why gays shouldn’t be allowed to be part of the church? These issues are about opinions and have no place in the pulpit. Church is where we come to worship God. End of story!

Try to put God first in your church, and it will be as solid as a rock.

 

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.

Proverbs 3:5–6

 

 

Further Adventures

We sometimes take prayer for granted. We say, “Help me through the day, Lord.” But do we really think about what we even said. You walk out the door and go to work, and ask God to help you through the day. That is way too broad of a request. There are hundreds of thing that could happen in one day.

We do this in the church too. We pray for the sick of the church. We pray that the members will donate more money. Those prayers are also too general and don’t let God know your specific needs.

When we pray for the sick, we need to name individuals and hold them up to God. When we pray for more giving, we should point out specific projects. Yes, it takes a lot longer, and you think God will know all of the sick and all of the needs of the church. But He listens to earnest, sincere and concentrated prayers with a deeper love and understanding.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that if we trust God, we can build a foundation that will never fail

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Am I Really Qualified to Know What God Wants for Me?

 It is now after Christmas and some people have not felt the joy of what the reason of the season was. Statistics proof that the month of December is one of the hardest months for people. Many battle depression, anxiety, fear, addictions, self-doubt or hopelessness. 

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I have another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to survive in an Unfriendly World.” This chapter is on how prayer can see us through the storms and trials we face each day. This book reaches out to those who suffer from the afflictions mentioned above.

Life Is Short; Pray Hard

 

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose confidence is in him. He will be like a tree planted by the water that send out its roots by the stream. It does not fear when heat comes; its leaves are always green. It has no worries in a year of drought and never fails to bear fruit.

Jeremiah 17:7–8

 

It seems so easy to become complacent in our lives—to just do the daily routine, going through the motions of a life. It’s so much easier that way: Go to work every morning; come home every evening; watch a little TV; go to bed.

There’s no pressure there. Making a living and providing for our family is all that matters. It’s a comfortable feeling—right?

Surveys say that thinking is not right. Many people are unhappy with their jobs. I’ve been there. Have you? Are you disappointed about what you’ve accomplished in life? Feel depressed and dejected because you aren’t getting anywhere?

All of us have had dreams, but most of us think we’ll never accomplish them. It’s only dreaming after all. It’s too risky to change jobs to pursue a dream. There isn’t time to build that new house—it’s called a “dream” house for a reason. You really don’t think you have the talent to write that book you’ve been thinking about. You’ve always wanted to go to the mission field, but you’d have to give up too much.

Speaking of talents, Jesus told a parable about talents. Although we think of talents as things we do well, a talent in the time of Jesus was a huge amount of money. One talent was worth about a year’s wages back then. A year’s wages was a tremendous amount to the people, because of the hard times they were going through.

I will let Jesus tell the parable and see if we can see the parallels between the money kind of talent Jesus referred to and the abilities God has given us. It is from Matthew, chapter 25:

14Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his property to them. 15To one he gave five talents of money, to another two talents, and to another one talent, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. 17So also, the one with the two talents gained two more. 18But the man who had received the one talent went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.     

19After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20The man who had received the five talents brought the other five. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.”

21His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

22The man with the two talents also came. “Master,” he said, “you entrusted me with two talents; see, I have gained two more.”     

23His master replied, “Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!”

24Then the man who had received the one talent came. “Master,” he said, “I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25So I was afraid and went out and hid your talent in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.”

26His master replied, “You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest.

28 “Take the talent from him and give it to the one who has the ten talents. 29For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 30And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

In case you missed it, Jesus is telling you to get off the back burner. Get up from that rocking chair. Take the first step. Stop being a couch potato. Serve God by using your talents now, not down the road that may lead to a dead end.

God doesn’t have certain molds He uses to create people. He doesn’t say, “Well, I guess I’ll make some accountants today. There seems to be a shortage.” He doesn’t make mass copies of carpenters, real estate salesmen, or home decorators. He creates each of us—one at a time—with our own talents.

Three questions that are often asked:

  1. How do I know what my talents are?
  2. When will God let me know what He wants me to do?
  3. Am I really qualified to serve God in the way He wants me to?

Let’s examine each of these questions:

  1. How do I know what my talents are?

What are the things you enjoy doing? What do you do well? Your answers give you a hint of where your talents lie. You know that you have a talent for working with kids—because you enjoy doing it. Or you might enjoy for helping the elderly. You know you can be persuasive. You know you love to help those recuperating from an illness. You know you want to open that florist shop. You have kept a journal or diary for years. Expand on it.

Why are you waiting? You have the greatest CEO in the universe to guide you through the process. God is there.

  1. When will God let me know what He wants me to do?

He probably already has. You just didn’t think you could do it. God is planting ideas in our minds all the time. Sometimes we choose to ignore them; often, we feel like we just can’t do what He asks. Life is short—only a blink of the eye from God’s perspective. Through prayer and following God’s lead, each of us can live a fulfilling life.

     3.    Am I really qualified to serve God in the way He wants me to?

I can answer that from experience. When God let me know He wanted me to write this book, I thought, Boy, God, do You have the wrong number! God then let me know that not only did He have the right number, He also wanted me to get to the computer and get started!

Pray for guidance from God as to what He may want you to do. Trust me—nine years ago, I never thought I would be an author. Far from it. I was floundering and searching for meaning—just like you may be. I felt lost and defeated—just like you. God then woke me up and directed me to write the words I am writing now. I hope you pray hard and find out what mission God has for you to do. If we do not use our talents the way God intended, then we are failing our calling by God. Just do it!

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.

Romans 12:12

 

Further Adventures

I have wasted so many years passing up open doors God provided for me. At one time I considered opening a group home for kids who were having trouble coping in life. It would have had its own school, a staff of counselors to help them, and guidance to help them choose their future. I kept dreaming about it, and even did a little researching. I found a man who would support such a venture. I was all set. What happened? I felt I would fail, because I didn’t have enough fortitude to stick with it. I let it go. I think back on that many times, and wonder what would have happened. It is gone now because I now know what God wants me to do the rest of my life. Well, today anyway.

Don’t let this happen to you. If you think God is whispering in your ear, clean out the wax and listen closely. He knows your talents. He knows ahead of time if you will make it or not. If He wants you to something you can be assured He will be there to help you accomplish it.

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that as we get older the time seems to go faster?

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God Accepts Knee Mail

 * Got a lot of hits for Monday’s post. I want to thank you for supporting a fellow author. If you missed it, just go back one post and read the great interview of Tom Blubaugh, the author of “Night of the Cossack.”

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Time is running out in getting a copy of, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” There are only 6 days before Christmas. Hurry and order today, and it might still make it.

This book reaches out to those who may be suffering from anxiety, fear, depression, addictions, self-doubt, or hopelessness.

There is a special sale going on now until the end of the year. There is a $6.00 savings of you order from this site.

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I have another excerpt from the book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” This one tells us that there are many types of technology that people use today to communicate, but the old fashion way of prayer, gets more results, and is much faster.

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Chapter 17

 

God Accepts Knee Mail

 

The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.

He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 18:2

 

In this day of modern technology, we can “talk” with someone inAfricain an instant. We can send e-mails faster than we can even say, “snail mail.” Instant and text messaging through our computers or cell phones make it so we can talk back and forth as easily as if we were sitting in the same room conversing. Isn’t that amazing? What wonderful advancements the world has made!

You know what is coming next, don’t you? God can answer prayers that fast. You don’t even need a computer to do it, and it is like He is right in the room with you conversing. God is watching right now as you read this chapter. Think about it, He knows every hair on your head. (I know—for some of us that’s not hard.) He knows when you are sad. He knows when you are happy. He knows when you are in danger. Psalm 139 tells us He knows all about us.

If you question how He can know your own thoughts, it’s because God is all knowing—or omniscient, as the theologian would say. He knows the thoughts of nobodies like us who want to be somebodies. Each of us is just one person among millions and millions of people. Why would He care about you and me? Because He loves us so much He doesn’t want us to be alone. He wants us to love Him back and seek Him in times of trouble. That’s what your earthly father would do, wouldn’t he? (I realize that question assumes a healthy parent-child relationship, which isn’t the case for everyone.)

Yes, He even knows your inner thoughts—your very own personal thoughts. That can be a scary thought, but it shows us His tremendous love for us. He loves us so much that He listens to even you and me.

God is all-powerful—omnipotent in theological terms. You follow the weather report each day to see if you need an umbrella for the rain that God created. You look at the beautiful mountains, and know that they tremble before God. You see a crocus come up in the spring, and know that God designed it. You look at a newborn child and see God’s greatest work.

Yet, even though God is so powerful, He takes time to listen to you and me. He lowers Himself to your level and listens as you speak in His ear. He loves us so much He even came to show us His love in person. In human flesh. He sent His only Son for us so that we would have a person who will pass our hurts, fears, and shame on to the Father. That is why we always say, “In Jesus name,” at the end of all our prayers. We are going through Jesus to have God also feel our pain.

Have you had times when you thought no one cared? Did your spouse leave you? Did your child grow up and move away—emotionally, if not geographically? Has your brother or sister stopped talking to you? Did your dad or mom disown you?

God feels your pain. Everyone left His only Son when He needed them the most. They turned their backs on Him and let Him die on the cross because they feared for their own lives.

God feels your pain. David escaped angry King Saul by hiding in a cave. When David became king, he committed adultery and had a man killed, yet God (through Paul) called him a man after His own heart (see Acts13:22).

God feels your pain. Jonah tried to run from God and got as far as a whale’s stomach before God turned his pain into obedience.

God feels your pain. It hurts Him when people die in wars. He gives people choices and many leaders make painful, evil choices that hurt others.

Remember: God came down to this earth and felt pain. He cried. He worried. He knew fear. He knows (and understands) what we are going through. He has gone through it. So it makes sense to rely on someone with experience.

We probably wouldn’t hire someone to fix our toilet whose specialty is doing hair and makeup. Nor would we ask someone who has never been outside theUnited States(and is afraid of snakes and spiders) to lead us on a trek through a thick jungle. And we probably wouldn’t let a blind person show us how to climb the side of a rock cliff.

Rely on someone who knows you better than you do. Use someone who can change outcomes, before they happen. Count on someone who loves to make your life better than it is right now. Use God. Get on your knees and pray for God to direct you the rest of your life. God loves knee mail. He accepts it every day.

 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear,

though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea,

and though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging.

Psalm 46:1–3

Further Adventures

We all have friends we can turn to in order to share with them our deepest hurts and fears. They are a must on this tainted planet. However, when you leave them after a long talk, they are not with you anymore. You can’t talk to them without calling them or e-mailing them. You don’t have that problem with God. He is sitting right next to you as you read these lines. He will always be right there for you. You are never alone. Let Him hear your inner thoughts and rely on Him to show you the way.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that God can move mountains and calm the seas, but we still doubt He will help us in time of trouble?