Archive for the Encouragement Category
Cry Out To Jesus
September 15, 2007 by Administrator.
All of us have at one time or another been brokenhearted for a number of reasons. As Christians, when our hearts are broken is when we draw closest to the Lord Jesus. When all is well in our lives we tend to forget why we need the Lord. Read here what the Bible says about the brokenhearted in Psalm 34:18-22 NASB:
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
There is refuge in the Lord. Though the wicked may not suffer as much as the righteous during life, they will suffer eternally in their condemnation. Our crushed spirits must only lean on Him or else we have no protection. He keeps our bones from being broken and saves our hearts. Cry out to Jesus. He is our only isle of hope.
Trusting In His Peace
August 25, 2007 by Administrator.
I was talking with my father yesterday. My transmission more or less gave out in my current vehicle and I really had no option but to find another automobile relatively fast. He was telling me that the majority of Christians believe in trusting God in the “big” things, but not so much the smaller things such as a car purchase. People feel like they need to pray about which person to marry, whether they should be a missionary in Mexico, which church they should join, but seldom ask God which car to buy. I was in full agreement with my father; but little did I know I was about to be stretched to see if I really I trusted in Him for a vehicle purchase. I found what seemed to be everything I had been searching for at a steal. However, I would need a larger loan than I had planned, it was over 120 miles away, and I was very uneasy about the whole matter. Dealing with large sums of money is stressful, but I was very troubled. I had doubts and worries about this purchase. I feared that I got there and it wasn’t in good condition, I had wasted gas money to get there and back home. I also feared that I couldn’t get what I wanted then I would feel pressured to pay more because of the distance. After several hours of thinking, I decided not to go and look at it. Then… I had peace. There was peace in my conscience about not going. The realization hit home with me that I didn’t have to have a vehicle fast. I didn’t need to spend that much money. Though this search still continues, I received a lesson from God on trusting Him even in the “small” things. That vehicle could be the most perfect automobile, but it wasn’t right for me and my God.
The Home of our Hearts
June 23, 2007 by Administrator.
There have been many times in my life where I have placed my heart in the hands of the world. It’s easy to treasure the things of the world rather than things of God. Christ has often opened my eyes to my misdirection and shown me that I was building a house out of sand. This evening God asked me the question:
Where is the home of your heart?
Should not our heart’s be where Christ is? Tonight when that question rang in my mind, this verse came to memory instantaneously:
“For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” ~Matthew 6:21 NASB
My heart should treasure the Lord and find its rest in Him. All too often I live a in a house that isn’t my home. I should be living in the presence of God. This tempestuous world of sin is not our home as followers of Christ; the home of our hearts ought to be where the Lord abides. My heart should find it’s home in Christ. My place is with Him. So today, start laying the foundation of your heart’s home in Christ.
My Fears Dispelled
June 3, 2007 by Administrator.
Tonight my church began our Vacation Bible School. This week I am to teach the 3rd and 4th grade kids. Before we began, all I could think about was the possibility of me confusing these kids. Teaching children is not something foreign to me, but this fear has never quite left my conscience. Speaking in public or to a group has never been a worry of mine, but misinterpretation has. I was very worried that I would distort their view of Christ and God with just a few misplaced words. All I could do was pray. I continued to think about how I was the one that needed to be taught. My imperfections and faults stood bluntly in the forefront of my mind. After the pastor prayed and dispersed the groups, my fears slipped away. The peace of God just took over. There is no way to explain it, but my heart calmed. I had peace! All I know is that when it came time to open the Word, everything felt so natural. I was discussing the Book that meant the world to me. It contained the stories that shape my convictions and life. These stories became alive in their eyes. They eagerly awaited my next words to unveil more of the story. Their excitement gave me joy and made me remembere that I was called to spread the good news. Even though I am always in need of teaching, Christ has called all His followers to share the Gospel. He will provide the time, words, and peace for His children.
Christ Shines Through
May 4, 2007 by Administrator.
A few days ago, one of my co-workers came to me and told me that she was pregnant. She said that her boyfriend wanted her to get rid of the baby. I saw pain, hurt, and rejection in her face. I didn’t know what to say. She called off the relationship since her boyfriend wasn’t going to be a man and accept fatherhood. She turned her face away to hold back the tears. Her hope had been aborted. Yet, out of sinful acts God still makes good things. When Satan thinks he has ruined your life, God sees through the mess to the end result. Children may grow up in unhappy homes, but God understands their pain. Children may grow up fatherless, but God has not forgotten them. Children may grow up orphans, but Christ has a beautifully woven them in the womb to be His creation at this specific time. If He looks after the sparrows, how much more does He look after His creation (Matthew 10:29-31)? During the darkest and most painful of circumstances, Christ shines through. Evil may prevail for a while, but the light of His glory will always scatter His foes. We all make mistakes, yet the Lord’s plans have not been hindered. His will still carries on for His glory. All may seem like pain, confusion, distress, rejection, and despair; but followers of Christ can know that He will always be there for them. Amidst all evil, Christ shines through.
Our Haven of Rest
May 2, 2007 by Administrator.
The world seems to be entirely contaminated with sin. There never seems to be a place of morality or rest from the common evil against Christianity. Sometimes these thoughts wear me down. I may not see an easy way out of my current everyday troubles. The Lord reminds occasionally that He is my isle of hope and refuge from this pandemonium. I visited one of the most spiritually dark nations of the world this year: China. Amazingly, it was a time of growth for me despite the godlessness everywhere. I felt that it was time to rejuvenate and armor up. Sometimes we all need an escape to spend some more time with God. I do believe that we should give Him more than just a quiet time. Maybe a day of fasting, or taking a Saturday to just focus on Him is what we need. For some, this may be more idealistic than practical. Yet, the world can beat us all down, but we must find our rest and strength in Christ, not in ourselves. Give Him some extra time in your day. He is your only haven of rest from this place. As followers of Christ, we are aliens to this land. Our hearts belong to Him. Our haven of rest is in Him.
Because of Him
April 23, 2007 by Administrator.
The Son of God became man to enable men to become the sons of God.
~ C. S. Lewis
Brokenhearted
January 7, 2007 by admin.
All of us have at one time or another been brokenhearted for a number of reasons. As Christians, when our hearts are broken is when we draw closest to the Lord Jesus. When all is well in our lives we tend to forget why we need the Lord. Read here what the Bible says about the brokenhearted in
Psalm 34:18-22 (
NASB):
The LORD is near to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the LORD delivers him out of them all. He keeps all his bones, not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked, and those who hate the righteous will be condemned. The LORD redeems the soul of His servants, and none of those who take refuge in Him will be condemned.
There is refuge in the Lord. Though the wicked may not suffer as much as the righteous during life, they will suffer eternally in their condemnation. Our crushed spirits must only lean on Him or else we have no protection. He keeps our bones from being broken and saves our hearts. Christ is our only isle of hope.
Words From The Father
December 13, 2006 by admin.
This one passage stood out to me so strongly that I had to let you read it. As the Lord speaks, it really comes across very personal and direct. I left out sections of the verses to make it flow like the way I read it.
Isaiah 43:1c-3a; 4c
NASB
“Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name; you are Mine! When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they will not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be scorched, nor will the flame burn you. For I am the Lord your God… and I love you.”
The affection and poetical beauty is astounding. He speaks like a father who promises to his little children that no harm will ever come to them. Then he kisses their heads and says to them sweetly, “I love you.”
Stage Curtain of Waves
December 6, 2006 by admin.
There are many times in your life when all you see is the bad that is happening. Yet, all the time we don’t see what is going on behind the stage curtain of the world’s tempestuous waves. The Lord works primarily out of our simple eyesight doing great and mighty things. The world is not home. I long to be anywhere the Lord resides. Sometimes all I see is sin, wickedness, and total evil. I see the government abusing the rights of Christians; I see the schools shut down any discussion of God; I see the lost fake Christianity as if they knew what it meant; I see the believers conform; I see the fundamentals of the Bible tossed aside; I see my own faith daily challenged. But in all these things, I find my comfort in the Lord. I turn to my strong tower. I flee to the only isle of hope in my despair: the Lord Jesus Christ.
