Tag: Ways to Survive

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If God Would Just Listen to Me

A new year. A new month. A new week. A new day. It is time to refresh 0ur thinking, and work on things we feel we can do better.

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I want to thank all of you who stop by each day. I hope you find some comfort and thoughts that may help your day.

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I have another excerpt from my book, “Signs of Hope: Ways to Survive in an Unfriendly World.” People often get very selfish and try to tell God what they want instead of asking Him. We need to realize that God has the final say in everything. We should pray with a humble heart. We should also remember: Never, ever, give up!

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Chapter 22

 

When Praying, Don’t Give God Instructions;

Just Report to Work

 

“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. Then you will pray to me,

and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me

with all your heart. I will be found by you,” declares the Lord.

Jeremiah 29:11–14

 

I could do well—if God would just listen to me! I would ask that peanut butter not be fattening; that I would never be overweight; that I had a beautiful house right onWaikikiBeachinHawaii. And while you are at it, God, could You help me to always catch the biggest fish when I go fishing?

Pretty silly, huh? People do get that selfish. They always say “give me.” They pray for a promotion, a new car, one more drink before they die, a great life as a beach bum—and the list goes on.

We would love to live the life of a beach bum, but like sand castles on the beach, dreams get washed away because of illness, divorce, death of a spouse, or bankruptcy.

There are no absolutes on this earth. God did not promise us a rose garden. He didn’t even promise us a garden.

What if we simply ask God to use us for His glory? A very short prayer—and God will be smiling when He hears it. You never know what God might have for you to do. You never know if He wants you to lead thousands of people out into the desert. He may want you to attack a giant with a slingshot. He may want you to lead many people to Christ.

He did that with Moses, David and Paul. They were very ordinary people like you and me, but God made them extraordinary people by having them report for duty. They didn’t plan to be the people they turned out to be, but God wanted each of them to fulfill a specific purpose and they responded.

What do you think God wants you to do? Have you ever thought God wanted you to paint like Picasso? Has God wanted you to administer to a school in the jungle, but you thought it was just a dream you kept having? How about becoming an evangelist traveling the world and leading many people to Christ?

Maybe these thoughts seem too far away for you to reach. You should never think that. And God might have completely different—and maybe what you consider “smaller”—plans for you, but He still has a plan for you. Every task has an equal place in God’s view. He planned yours before you were even born. It may be that you are to be a choir member at your church. It could be that you help out at the soup kitchen or usher at your church.

That is what I am doing right now. I am an usher at my church. At first I thought it would be rather dull. You walk people down the aisle and show them to an available seat. Boring! But I have found that being an usher can be a wonderful experience. On more than one occasion someone has tugged on my sleeve when I was passing the offering plate and asked for some help. They wanted someone to pray with them.

I alert what I call “the God squad,” and they have a person waiting to talk to and pray with that person at the end of the service. Each time the person has accepted Christ right on the spot. Pretty cool, huh? I am not just an usher—God is using me as an ambassador for Him.

I spent many years after I retired wondering what God wanted me to do. I was searching behind the wrong doors. It wasn’t behind door number 1 or door number 2; it was behind door number 3! Door number 3 was God telling me, “You can write. You have a talent to tell people about Me.”

As I sat down and began to write, I felt something I had never felt before. It felt as if God were directing my hands to write what He wanted to say. I am sure other Christian writers have had the same feeling.

What happened was that I had finally stopped searching and started praying. I asked God to show me what He wanted me to do for Him. I didn’t tell God what I wanted. I asked Him to show me what He wanted.

How about you? Do you tell God what you need and want, or do you ask Him to show you His plan for your life? You will be amazed what will happen if you are patient. God doesn’t always answer prayer by5 p.m.on the day you pray. He already knows what He wants for you, and He may be preparing you for that.

I was once writing a book about how to be a salesman in a tough world. I look back at my work on that book, and it was horrible! A publisher would be laughing me right out that number 3 door. But God let me work on that horrible book to prepare me for this book He really wanted me to write. It just wasn’t what I thought He wanted me to write. So here I am rambling away, happy as a clam!

Don’t spend your time asking God, for “goodies.” Spend time telling God that you are willing to do whatever He wants you to do. When He does open that door for you, enjoy the ride. You will never have to look back, and you will be serving God in a way that is pleasing to Him.

 

If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all

without finding fault, and it will be given to him.

James 1:5

 

Further Adventures

Moses went to the mountain and asked God for guidance. God loved Moses for coming to see Him and obey Him. What about you? Do you pray for a new car, or do you go to the mountain and seek what God really wants you to do instead of what you want from God? You will be amazed how many things God will provide for you if you follow His instructions for your life. It may not be that new car, but you will feel that you have really accomplished something that was meaningful and important.

 

Something to Ponder

Isn’t it funny that when we think we can, we do; but when we think we can’t, we fail?

 

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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?