Strength From Within

No Muscles Required

Got a six-pack?

Yeah, me neither.

Well, maybe some of you do. 🙂

Every time I go to the gym, I see beautiful people working out.

I’m talking about men and women with painstakingly acquired sculpted bodies possessing the kind of physical strength and confidence that I could only hope for.

When we ask God to give us strength, is this what we’re talking about?

Strength from Within

Possibly the most beautiful woman I’ve ever met in my life is a close friend of mine whom I hold dear to my heart.

When I say she is “beautiful,” I mean both inside and out.

If you met her, you’d know exactly what I mean.

What tears into my heart is that she continues to suffer from a painful autoimmune disease.

Please Lord, heal her. Ease her pain.

Throughout all of her suffering, there is something very different about her than other sufferers with this disease – the ones who have no hope.

It is unmistakable.

Her poor body continues to rage with new and horrific symptoms, and yet I see a strength shine through her that can only be described as God-given.

I treasure a card she sent me a while ago. I keep it in my office where I can see it every day. 

She told me she doesn’t concentrate on the “whys.”

In her words,

“Jesus is the blessed controller of ALL things.

Knowing Him is all I need to comprehend – not why He chose

or chooses to use instruments to draw me closer to Himself.

No, all of the ‘whys’ will one day be answered.

Until that day – please hold me accountable to a childlike faith.”

You can see why she is precious to me.

Heroic Strength

Childlike faith – having the untarnished humility of a child bolstered by unshakable love, complete trust, and dependence on our Heavenly Father knowing that He will always be there to comfort us.

Courage is keeping our focus on Christ when everything in life is trying to pull us down.

It’s the “right stuff” that enables us to go on despite our circumstances.

I’ve got wonderful news: there is hope beyond your circumstances. You can live above them.

If a man named Paul could live above his unbelievably trying circumstances, so can you. But Christ must become your central focus.

He, alone, can empower you and teach you to live above the duress of adversity. Your external circumstances may not change, but deep within, you will. As Christ is allowed first place in your thoughts, changes will occur. Those changes will be evident to your mate, your children, your friends, and your coworkers. Instead of seeing yourself as a victim, you will begin to realize a strength that is not your own.

The result? You will make a difference because of the way you respond to the circumstances that once defeated you. To the people closest to you, your contentment despite your circumstances will be nothing short of heroic.Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor, author and educator. 1

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1 Chuck Swindoll quotation, courtesy of Insight For Living, “Despite your Cirumstances,” n.d. para. 4. Web. Copyright © 2005 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide. Accessed 29 January, 2020. Retrieved from   https://www.oneplace.com/ministries/insight-for-living/read/articles/despite-your-circumstances-10196.html

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Asking For Trouble

Asking For Trouble

Have you ever regretted something you did as a child?

I have.

When I was in 5th grade, I remember going to a slumber party with a bunch of friends from my junior girl scout troop.

Besides staying up late until the wee hours of the morning, part of our “fun” included one of the girls pulling out a ouija board.

You’ve probably heard of them.

Each person asks the board questions and, supposedly, you’ll get answers from an unseen force.

At that young age, we didn’t think there was anything wrong with it.

I’d call that inviting the devil in.

Talk about asking for trouble. 

dark shadows

Now, as a Christian adult, I know better.

We were just stupid kids then, influenced by what we saw in the world around us, and doing what we’d seen other kids do.

I’ve already asked, and God has forgiven me.

Someone might think it’s silly for me to apologize to God for something I took part in as a child.

And, that’s okay.

I’m more interested in what God thinks.

Invoking the Spirit Realm

Fast forward to modern times.

Did you ever think you’d see a demonic tribute displayed for all to see, like the giant ouija board that was in Salem last year?

It makes my heart sad.

Did you know there are still people out there who don’t believe there’s a devil, or that evil actually exists?

Much, much worse, they don’t believe God exists, AND that He is a righteous judge.

They’ll find out someday.

A Wonderful Trip With One Exception

A couple of weeks ago, my husband and I went on an amazing vacation in the mountains.

Absolutely everything was perfect about our trip, except for one thing – a so-called “immersive experience” that came highly recommended on one of the travel sites. 

Attraction? No thanks

My husband and I read nothing in the reviews that tripped our radars. We had no idea that this place would be so disturbing.

The outside of the building for the “experience” looked a little weird, but we decided to go in anyway.

We started walking through the dark rooms full of lights and bizarre artwork.  There were strange writings everywhere – on the tables, on the walls, etc.  The whole place was noisy with unintelligible sounds coming from who knows where, and it smelled bad.

asking for trouble

What in the world?

We looked closer at the written letters on the tables and the drawings and paintings on the walls – clearly demonic.

You don’t have to be a rocket scientist to know what demonic symbols look like.

And they were everywhere.

This “experience” was not a haunted house…it was described as a popular “attraction” with, God forbid, plans to expand to other states.

It wasn’t amusing, or tongue-in-cheek.

Here’s another thing that was really unsettling.

There were young kids running around.

It made me sick watching young people in there taking selfies, laughing, and soaking it all in. I watched one teenager close his eyes, breath in a deep breath, and say out loud, “Freedom.” 

Huh?

I just shook my head.

Young people are encouraged to play here and “immerse” themselves in this very dark place.

What Do We Stand For?

I’ve heard some Christians talk excitedly about TV shows and movies, like “Twilight” and “Game of Thrones.”

Anything goes now in the entertainment world, ever-increasing numbers of shows glorifying violence, or satanic acts and meaningless se xual encounters.

Why aren’t more Christians speaking up and out against this kind of thing?

I do more often than not, and it gets me into trouble sometimes.

But, I have a right to my opinion just like the next person.

Who are we trying to please? God or man?

“Were Satan to strike the children of God with great force at one time, they would know exactly how to resist the enemy since they would immediately recognize his work. He uses the method of gradualism to wear down the people of God.”  – Watchman Nee – Christian minister, Bible teacher. (1903 – 1972).1

I’ve never felt so out of place than at the attraction we went to. I walked right up to one of the posted demonic symbols and started singing the Doxology silently in my head.

I can’t believe people pay money to see this kind of thing except, maybe like us, other Christians entered the building simply going off of misleading reviews.

This is garbage. Let’s leave.

And so, we walked out. We got inside our rental car, stunned at what we’d just witnessed, and prayed about it and against it.

Art? Really?

People can call that kind of thing “art” all they want.

If it’s celebrating the devil, the illuminati, or globalism – no thanks.

I don’t care what the Hollywood machine wants to promote – I’d rather see, or hear, or read something uplifting – especially if it glorifies God.

You?

Philippians 4:8

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1 Watchman Nee quotation, courtesy of https://www.christianquotes.info/. Accessed 26 January, 2020.
2 Scripture quotation is from The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionŸ, copyright © 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

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God’s Promise Of Eternal Freedom

God’s Promise

God's Promise Of Eternal Freedom

Dear Christians,

All of those painful things in your life – the emotional hurts and the physical hardships – they will one day disappear.

You will be free . . . in Heaven!

You and I will have the ultimate, “perfect” peace. 

Perfect Peace means Eternal Freedom.

Eternal Freedom

No more pain

No more grief

In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John was granted the divine privilege of writing to the seven churches of Asia Minor to issue a warning about what was to come at the End of the Age. This is a time of final judgment and the world is plunged into darkness.

How can anyone not see how our world is advancing rapidly towards that time? There is so much evil around us, but we have Jesus on our side.

He is coming back and, on that future day, the Righteous will shine forth “as the sun.”

4 and He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.” – Revelation 21:4, (NASB).1

Notice that Scripture says “He will wipe away every tear”, without exception.

See how much He cares for the brokenhearted!

Knowing Him as our Savior in this life, and walking with Jesus in our eternal life – there will be no greater joy.  

Eternal Freedom 

As Christians, we long for the day of our eternal freedom when we’ll finally be Home.

In her poem, “Imagine Heaven”, fellow Christian writer Helene Torres issues an encouraging reminder to all of us to set our eyes on the glory promised to us in Heaven!


 

IMAGINE HEAVEN
by Helene Torres
10/03/08

I imagine this life not mattering,
as I walk towards the Lord.
Every question will have faded.
All my past ignored.

As I stand in Your glory
and all I see is You.
Will I recall this life at all
 and all that I’ve been through?

When I am in eternity
and know the perfect love.
What will I think of how I behaved
and how I showed Your love?

For this time is but a fleeting second,
in the years of eternity,
Don’t let me regret that second,
for all of infinity.

For this life will not matter,
apart from what I’ve done.
Let me hear the words “good job”
as I walk towards the Son.

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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2Poetry shared, courtesy of Helene Torres, from FaithWriters url: https://www.faithwriters.com/article-details.php?id=185177.

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What If We’re Not Perfect?

Got A Minute?

What if we're not perfect

Please take a few minutes and think about a friend in your life, one whom you hold especially dear.

Even though that treasured friend may live thousands of miles away, the distance doesn’t matter, does it?

All you have to do is pick up your cellphone and call that special person.

God has blessed us with amazing technology, hasn’t He?

Fortunately, we don’t need a cellphone to talk with God.

No iPhone required

Special apps? No

Cell towers? No way

The signal strength and connectivity are buried deep within your heart.

Do you want to thank God for His blessings, or talk about problems in your life?

He will hear you right away.

How fast do our prayers travel up to Heaven?

Faster than the human mind can even measure.

What if we’re not perfect?

We’re absolutely not “perfect,” so why would God want to hear anything we have to say?

He owes you and me nothing.

There was only one “perfect” person on earth.

Jesus Christ – fully God and fully Man – sent to us by God as our redeeming Savior.

Son of the living God

For God so loved

So why would God even consider us, wretched sinners who often fail Him?

Because He loves us.

Delight in the Lord.

Make your life count for Him!

What is God looking for? He is looking for men and women whose hearts are His — completely. That means there are no locked closets. Nothing’s been swept under the rugs. That means that when you do wrong, you admit it and come to terms with it. You long to please Him in your actions. You care deeply about the motivations behind your actions. God is not looking for magnificent specimens of humanity. He’s looking for deeply spiritual, genuinely humble, honest-to-the-core servants who have integrity. Chuck Swindoll, Christian pastor, author and educator. 2

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1 Scripture quotation is from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation.

2 Chuck Swindoll quotation, courtesy of Insight For Living, “Becoming a Man or a Woman after God’s Own Heart,” Insights (April 1997). para. 4. Web. Accessed 4 January, 2020. Copyright © 1997 by Charles R. Swindoll, Inc. All rights reserved worldwide.

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Be Still And Know

What Does It Mean to “Be Still and Know?”

Be still and know

We can find the answer in Psalm 46.

YHWH speaks through His Word to His covenant people throughout the ages.

With Christ as Our Savior and, by His death and resurrection, we are now His covenant people.

Here’s just a portion of this beautiful psalm of peace and praise written for the younger sons of Korah.

Psalm 46

We can have peace knowing that God is our fortress and that He is “with us.”

The God who moves mountains

Who created the smallest and the largest living organisms

The God who created you and me

No problem, whether emotional, physical, or spiritual, is too big for our God. If we will learn to take refuge in Him and lean on Him alone for strength, then with the psalmist we can face the most extreme crises with quiet confidence, because God is with us and He is sufficient. – Steven J. Cole, author and theologian.2

God allows troubles, frustrations, and hardships in our lives.

Don't lose heart

Minor molehills to sky-high mountains.

But we have to trust and take our refuge in Him.

“Quiet confidence”

“Be still”

That’s hard sometimes, isn’t it?

In our quiet moments of prayer, we want everything fixed in our timing.

We may seek out Christian friends, perhaps a Christian counselor – all of whom can be helpful and supportive through the rocky journeys we may be experiencing, but ultimately, God is our strength.

Don’t Lose Heart – We Will See Eternal Restoration

Referencing Isaiah 40, Pastor Mike Fabarez reminds us that some day, at the appointed time, the Glory of the Lord will be revealed. He is the Restorer of all things.

Keeper of promises

No matter where in the world we are at that time, we will all see it.

That should give us confidence that our Lord is a keeper of promises and everything wrong going on will be made right.

Count on Him!

“Have you read the news? Things are not as they ought to be – in the world, in the country, in our state, in our county, probably not in your home and certainly not in our lives. It’s broken and it’s painful and it’s frustrating, and I recognize that. But, as Christians, we don’t lose heart because the mouth of the Lord has spoken, and we understand what He says and we believe what He says and we have confidence in what He says and He’s proved that He can do what He has promised. As a matter of fact, when we study the gospels, we recognize that Jesus assures us of an absolute permanent fix to all things, an eternal restoration of all things.”– Dr. Mike Fabarez, pastor and teaching minister.3

Be Still and Know That I Am God

If you haven’t yet heard Steven Curtis Chapman sing “Be Still and Know”, you’re in for a real treat.

It’s simply beautiful.

This is the song I listen to before I start my Bible study every day.

I hope it blesses you as much as it blesses me.

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1 Scripture quotation is from The Holy Bible, English Standard VersionŸ, copyright © 2016 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

2Steven J. Cole quotation, courtesy of  bible.org, from the series “Psalms.” n.d. 1993. para. 9. Web. Accessed 3 January, 2020. Retrieved from https://bible.org/seriespage/psalm-46-our-sufficient-god.

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