“I will fear no evil: for thou art with me.” Psalm 23:4Behold, how independent of outward circumstances the Holy Ghost can make the Christian! What a bright light may shine within us when it is all dark without! How firm, how happy, how calm, how peaceful we may be, when the world shakes to and fro, and the pillars of the earth are removed! Even death itself, with all its terrible influences, has no power to suspend the music of a Christian’s heart, but rather makes that music become more sweet, more clear, more heavenly, till the last kind act which death can do is to let the earthly strain melt into the heavenly chorus, the temporal joy into the eternal bliss! Let us have confidence, then, in the blessed Spirit’s power to comfort us. Dear reader, are you looking forward to poverty? Fear not; the divine Spirit can give you, in your want, a greater plenty than the rich have in their abundance. You know not what joys may be stored up for you in the cottage around which grace will plant the roses of content. Are you conscious of a growing failure of your bodily powers? Do you expect to suffer long nights of languishing and days of pain? O be not sad! That bed may become a throne to you. You little know how every pang that shoots through your body may be a refining fire to consume your dross—a beam of glory to light up the secret parts of your soul. Are the eyes growing dim? Jesus will be your light. Do the ears fail you? Jesus’ name will be your soul’s best music, and his person your dear delight. Socrates used to say, “Philosophers can be happy without music;” and Christians can be happier than philosophers when all outward causes of rejoicing are withdrawn. In thee, my God, my heart shall triumph, come what may of ills without! By thy power, O blessed Spirit, my heart shall be exceeding glad, though all things should fail me here below.
SEVEN AREAS OF FAITH 1. One Newly Come To The Faith ( 1 Tim. 3:6 Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil.) 2. One Weak In The Faith ( Rom. 14:1 Him that is weak in the faith receive ye, but not to doubtful disputations.) 3. One Who Kept (Guarded) The Faith ( 2 Tim. 4:7 I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith:) 4. Some Who Erred From The Faith ( 1 Tim. 6:21 Which some professing have erred concerning the faith. Grace be with thee. Amen.) 5. Some Depart From The Faith ( 1 Tim. 4:1 Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils;) 6. Some Deny The Faith ( 1 Tim. 5:8 But if any provide not for his own, and specially for those of his own house, he hath denied the faith, and is worse than an infidel.) 7. Some Overthrow The Faith ( 2 Tim 2:18 Who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is past already; and overthrow the faith of some.)
The Most Neglected Teacher 2 Peter 2:6“And turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrha into ashes condemned them with an overthrow, making them an ensample unto those that after should live ungodly;” The one thing that we can learn from history is that we never learn from history. The greatest teacher that any of us has is history. History has no agenda to set. History is not politically correct. History is sometimes ugly to look at, but history is the greatest teacher of mankind. Though history is the greatest teacher, it is probably the most neglected teacher. For some reason people think they will never succumb to what those in history have done. If we are wise, we will let history teach us what to do and what not to do. In the verse above, God said that Sodom and Gomorrah was an example to teach us not to live their wicked lifestyle. The destruction of these two cities should teach us today that God will judge a society if He needs to. Likewise, the destruction of these two cities should teach us that God will not always put up with our foolish and wicked lifestyles. Let me give you a few statements concerning history. First of all, learn to be a student of history. Don't get so busy with the current affairs of your life that you forget to study history. Don't forsake the study of history because you think it is boring. Don't forsake the study of history because you don't think that it is relevant to your current situation. Any person would be wise to become a student of history, so they can learn from it. Secondly, don't try to change history's lessons. One of the agendas of liberals is to change history so it fits what they want to do. I have watched this in the political world as well as the spiritual world. Liberals in the school and political world have tried to change history to fit the agenda they want to push. This is wrong! Likewise, I have watched modern day “fundamental” preachers try to change the history of fundamentalism for the sake of pushing their agenda. Whether or not these preachers purposefully do this, we should be careful about falling to this trap, as it will only hurt us. Thirdly, don't think you are the exception to what history has taught you. One of the greatest mistakes people make is they think they will not do what those in history have done. One of the reasons for this is pride. We sometimes think we are smarter than those in history and therefore will not fall as they did. As history teaches us, if we will follow the pathway of those who were successful in history then we will be successful. If we follow the pathway of those who failed in history, then we will experience failure as well. Let history be your teacher. Don't forsake or change it, but learn from it. Don't let it be said about you that you never learned from history. Make history's lessons important and follow their teachings, in so doing you will find success in your life.
What to do When Going Through a Rough Time, Part 2 of 4 You must realize that you will only make it through your hardships by getting God’s grace for your spirit and life on a daily basis. When you wake up in the morning, ask God to give you His grace to go through the hardships. Then trust God that He will come through as He said He would. When the hardship becomes very heavy throughout the day, you may need to take a short break to get alone and ask God to give you some added grace. Don’t be afraid to tell God that you don’t think you can carry the load, but continue to beg God to give you His grace to bear that load. Remind God that He gave his grace to Paul and that you are no different than him. 3. Read several Psalms daily. Many of the psalms were written during the troubled times of David’s life. God gave us those psalms so that when hardships come we have something to read that will lift us up. When carrying heavy loads you must find yourself reading Psalms on a daily basis. Not only should you read several psalms, but you should memorize as many psalms as you can. Then, throughout the day, purposely quote the psalms to remind you that God is there to help you. One other helpful tip is to sing the psalms. There has been music put to several psalms. You need to find the psalms that have music with them and learn to sing those psalms. You will find that singing the psalms is a great medicine for your spirit. 4. Listen to cheerful music. Music is a very important part of everyone’s life. Music has the power to lift or depress your spirit. God says in Ephesians 5:19, “Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord;” God knew that music was powerful, so that is why He commanded us to sing music. The key to this verse is spiritual music. You will never lift your spirit by listening to the world’s music. The world’s music will only leave you more frustrated and depressed. There is nothing uplifting about the world’s music. When you choose to listen to music, be sure the music you listen to is cheerful and uplifting. There is some music that will cause you to become very thoughtful about your situation. That will only depress you. So, choose music that makes you feel happy and play it often in the car and around the house. 5. Get away from the stressful situation and take a break. Every once in awhile you need to take a break from your situation. You cannot be around your situation 24/7 without it eventually getting you down. You need to have a time when you purposely get away and do something you enjoy. A little break will be very helpful in giving you a release from the pressures of your trial.
Prisoners of the Earth “To crush under his feet all the prisoners of the earth,” ( Lam. 3:34) Lamentations 3:34 reminds us that we are prisoners here on earth. The verses immediately preceding this verse say that God does not want to destroy us nor cast is off forever, (vs. 31- 34). Then He says that He does not want to “crush under His feet all the prisoners of the earth”. What a statement! That is exactly what we are when we are redeemed by the blood of Christ—prisoners, held captive by the flesh. As Children of God, we are kidnapped by the devil, and held for ransom in a matter of speaking, but the unsaved of the world, the natural man, is indeed a prisoner in a much greater way in that he is under the control of the devil. Yes, mankind is taken captive and only the Lord can set Him free. We live amid a world of sin—gross sin, flagrant sin, and yet we do not belong to this world, we are captive here until the redemption of the body by our Champion, the Lord Jesus Christ. We must live here amid the strife and the evil, every day, and yet we are not to be partakers of it. We are prisoners in a foreign world. Pray for deliverance; pray for our Deliverer to complete the plan He has for us in the total redemption of body and spirit. Pray for the rapture! Only then will we be set free from the flesh and the lusts thereof, totally free, in body, soul, and spirit.
Multiplying God's Gifts Luke 6:30-38 God has trusted you with an allotment of finances, and expects you to steward it wisely. The early 1900s saw much growth and prosperity in America. The "Roaring Twenties" as they were named, introduced Americans to a life of comfort, pleasure, and ease that had not previously been known. Shortly before the '20s though, James Kraft introduced Americans to a new product-pasteurized cheese. Kraft and his brothers founded Kraft Foods Incorporated that patented a new process of creating cheese which resisted spoiling, allowing for it to be shipped long distances. The business was such a success that Kraft Foods even expanded into Canada, James' home country. Kraft Foods saw their biggest success when the government began purchasing cans of cheese for soldiers overseas. Throughout his lifetime James Kraft built an empire of a company that is still a giant in the dairy industry today. Yet James realized that money and success weren't the sole goals of life. Throughout his life, he was a faithful member of a local Baptist church, and was also a strong proponent of Christian education for young people. He also gave roughly twenty-five percent of his corporate profit to God's work. As he saw it, only the money given to God would last eternally, "The only investment I ever made which has paid consistently increasing dividends is the money I have given to the Lord." James Kraft was given much in the way of finances, yet was still faithful with what he was given. Most of us will never have as much as James did, yet we can all still be just as faithful with what we are given. Here are four ways we can multiply God's gifts to us. Work diligently. No matter what kind of job you have, God desires for you to work diligently. Some would lament a work situation or wonder why God has not blessed them as they desire, but you need to trust that God has you exactly where He wants you and desires that you would work diligently where you are. Steward effectively. In these difficult economic times, many people are cutting back and carefully budgeting their money. As Christians, we should always be conscious of the money God has given us, and determine to use it in the best way possible. While it would be prudent to cut back in some areas, remember that God's work should always take priority in financial stewardship. Invest wisely. Proverbs 11:16 says, "A gracious woman retaineth honour: and strong men retain riches." There is some wisdom in using finances to invest in the future through certain stocks, bonds, or financial accounts. If God has blessed you so, make sure you use wisdom when investing. Give generously. Jesus tells us in Luke 6 to give generously to those who need help-our neighbors, family members, or fellow Christians. Helping others through giving often reaps unexpected benefits. Not only that, but God desires for us to continue giving generously to His church, even in tight financial times. Luke 6:38 points out, "...For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again." As much as you give to others, so shall it be given back to you. God has trusted you with an allotment of finances. Just as the lord trusted his servants with a certain number of talents in Matthew 25:14-29, so God expects you to multiply the talents He has given you. Consider how you can multiply what God has given you. Work diligently at the job God has given you; steward your personal finances; invest wisely if possible; and remember to always remain generous in your giving to others and to God's work. As you make a conscious effort to wisely steward what God has given you now, He will be able to bless you with more in the future. Daily Bible Reading 1 Samuel 10-12 | Luke 9:37-62
Luke 5: 1-8 -- Ignoring ourselves brings success... ...when following God's instructions. These were professional fishermen who had been fishing all night, without success and were cleaning their nets. Their knowledge could have given Christ a negative answer -- they knew from their own experience that fish were not available for catching. They had been experiencing this all night long. Why should they believe this man? Their weariness could have given Christ a negative answer -- they had worked, tried hard, failed, and needed rest. Why not try again after some sleep? Yet Simon Peter answered "… at thy word I will let down the net." The result filled two ships. Wow, can you imagine how joyful they would have been if that had happened while they were working the night before? But now, it imparted knowledge and fear. Peter fell down at Jesus' knees, saying, Depart from me: for I am a sinful man, O Lord. For he was astonished. Are we? Not hardly. We take Christ's miracles for granted. "Hey, He's the Son of God -- of course He did miracles! How else would they know He was?" Well, how do we know? Can we find Him without seeing the miracles He gave His disciples? Do you realize how much more faith we must have than those disciples who got to see him? How wonderful!! But the point I want to study here is how we must ignore knowledge, our wisdom, our own experience. What we know is so limited in comparison to His knowledge. And, we must ignore our weariness, no matter how tired we've become of attempting to do our work, no matter our failure. If we have not seen the results of our witnessing for Christ, we must be able to follow Peter's example and respond to God's call with the commitment "At thy word, I will..." To hear His call, we must stay within His presence -- prayer and Bible study keeps us constantly in our Lord's presence. How else can we hear His word and respond to His will?
“They That Have Not Seen”
Reading John 20:24-29 quoted below, I think about today’s doubting Thomas’. I cannot tell you how many I have met, but many have been “professing” Christians. I have heard Baptist preachers, (so called men of God,) correct our Bible. I have heard them cast doubt on particular verses with absolutely no authority to do so. These are the worst of the lot, and without divine intervention upon their piety, they are as the Pharisees, a lost cause.
My concern is really for those who for whatever reason have cast themselves out of Church. It may have been because of an inability to cope with Biblical doctrine, (needing teaching for “itching ears.”) This is generally a decision over silly things: like the color of the building, the color of the carpet, and possibly over who is going to clean the carpet. These people may know the Lord Jesus, but have put their pride on their shoulder, and are unwilling to surrender their pride to the Lord.
The remaining folks either have not heard the Gospel, or if they have, and not received doctrinal discipleship which would encourage and help them grow in the Lord.
A person who accepts Jesus and then fails to come to church will never have the chance of reaching over and touching the nail holes in our Saviour’s hands. The wound on His side will always be out of reach. (I know we cannot do physically what Thomas could have done. Yet, with growth in Jesus Christ, we will be able to see those wounds with a much clearer eye.)
Our faithfulness in Church, our faithfulness in Bible reading / study, and our faithfulness in Prayer are what take the doubts away. As Jesus tells us, Thomas was blessed because he saw. We who cannot see will be blessed through our belief.
Until I personally take His hand on my road to Heaven, I will never physically see those wounds. However, I do see those wounds through spiritual eyes; eyes that see my Jesus on the Cross; eyes that see my Jesus in agony; eyes that see my Jesus say, “It is finished”; eyes that see my Jesus placed in a tomb; eyes that see my resurrected Lord out of that tomb; and eyes that see Him ascend to Heaven and sitting at the right hand of our God in Heaven.
Without this faith, I have no eyesight, because this eyesight comes from my Salvation, and doing God’s will: reading and studying my Bible, praying, and being faithful in Church. Are you approaching 20 / 20 spiritual eyesight?
Bro John R. E Chastain
John 20:24-29 But Thomas, one of the twelve, called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. (25) The other disciples therefore said unto him, We have seen the Lord. But he said unto them, Except I shall see in his hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe. (26) And after eight days again his disciples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, Peace be unto you. (27) Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing. (28) And Thomas answered and said unto him, My Lord and my God. (29) Jesus saith unto him, Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed: blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed.
What to do When Going Through a Rough Time, part 1 of 4 All of us have a rough day here or there and most of us can feel it coming on. If we work hard at it, we can keep our spirit on track until we get through the day. There are times when things will happen or change in our lives that make us feel we are carrying the weight of the world on our shoulders. When these times come, we have to have a plan on how to get through these weeks, months or even years. Psalm 51:10 says, “Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” When the rough times come, our spirit is one of the first things affected. Sometimes we know our spirit and attitude stinks and that it needs to be corrected. It’s a good sign that we notice this immediately, but our spirit won’t change or feel calm until we work on it. Sometimes someone is the kind of person who has always been a happy and easy going person. Trials or burdens can change their life completely, and all of a sudden they decide to police everyone else so they aren’t dwelling on their own problems. They don’t observe how sharp they appear to others, and almost give you the feeling that because they are going through a rough time and don’t feel the happiest, they in return have to make everyone else feel frustrated and unhappy with life. Making sure everyone else is abiding by the rules won’t change how others see you or change your spirit. If you are always worrying about the problems, complaining or allowing them to affect your spirit, you are only pulling down those around you whether or not you realize what you’re truly doing. Here are some steps that will help guide you to protect your spirit through the rough times. 1. Realize that God has not given you more than you can bear. I Corinthians 10:13, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.” Though your problem may seem big and overwhelming, you must realize that God has promised you that He will not place more on you than what you are able to carry. Apparently God has enough confidence in you to allow you to carry your burden. You should take solace in the fact that God trusts you this much. Because God trusts you enough to carry the load that you are carrying, don’t let Him down. Realize He believes that you can carry your load. 2. Daily ask for God’s grace for your spirit. When Paul was carrying his burden, three times he asked God if He would remove his burden. God responded to Paul in 2 Corinthians 12:9 when He said, “And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me.” God was telling Paul that the only way he would be able to bear his burden was through His grace.
Defeat?
I suppose that one of the biggest disappointments in my life has been the defeat I have faced at various times. It took me many years to learn some things, but once I learned them, my life began to improve; my “battles” became easier. I have learned that defeat must come before we can enjoy victory; I realized that we must suffer before we can excel; we must hurt, before we become pain free. Without the contrasts the blessing is not appreciated, and not fully realized. Oh, I am not saying I like defeat, or the hard times; I do not necessarily like the aches and pains that life throws my way, but I need them. Without these “rubbings”, I could not “shine”; I would not know the joy of overcoming problems. I would not be able to encourage others in their battles, nor to be an effective soldier in my own. We need the trials; we need the sadness; we need the negative things to accentuate the positive. Without cold, we would not realize what heat is; without evil, good would be nothing. Yes, the times of defeat were a disappointment, but they were also a hidden blessing. I would have preferred to skip the trials and the bad times, and go straight to the good things, but I am afraid that the good would not have been so good had I done that. Without the defeats, I would not have called upon the Lord, and enjoyed the blessings of God. How could we see Him work in us without the trials He overcomes through us? What would the suffering of Job mean without the double restoration of everything in his life?
Some people compare life to an ocean; they seem to think that good times and bad times come in waves, and that they have no real purpose. Many are overwhelmed by the evil things, as a tsunami overwhelms peoples and places. I am glad that life is not always “a bowl of cherries”, sometimes it’s the pits! We need the hardness of the pit to actually know the softness and sweetness of the cherry. Realizing this can help us to thank God for the “pits of life” and totally appreciate the sweetness of the cherry.
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