Most Liked Religion & Spirituality Blogs (1,491)

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. 1 Corinthians 10:13 & Revelation 2:4 KJV

I don’t care what your failure is in life. You are not washed up unless you choose to quit, unless you choose to give up, unless you choose to reject the grace of God. The choice is condemnation or confession. You can either live in condemnation or you can confess it and get on with life. Forget the former and focus on the future.

4. Trust God to work it all out.

In Romans 8:28, “We know that to those who love God, who are called according to his plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good.” God is working out a pattern in the fabric of our lives that’s going to be beautiful. It all fits. But sometimes from our point of view it looks like a jumble, a mess. We look at our lives and think, “How can anything good come out of this?”

I used to worry about the source of the problems that come into our lives a lot more than I do now. Is this problem from the devil? Is this problem from other Christians? Is this problem from the Lord? Is this problem something I’ve brought on myself? The longer I grow as a Christian, the more I think I understand that it doesn’t really matter the source of your problem. It doesn’t matter if the devil brought it on or other people caused it or if you caused it yourself. God will still use it. God has a way of overriding our big mistakes. He works them all out.

God wants to take your greatest failure—that area of greatest failure that you want to hide and keep secret—and He wants to turn it into your greatest strength. He wants to make a life message out of it. What is your area of weakness? Whatever it is, that’s what God wants to work on, if you stop regretting and stop having a pity party and let Him work in your life.

**

GOD'S LOVE KNOWS NO BOUNDARIES!

God's love is so great, it will descend to any depths to save, go any lengths to rescue. He can love man in his lowest estate and save him in his hour of need from his most pitiful plight! For Him there is no stopping place, no limit to which He will not go to save a poor lost soul with His infinite love and unlimited mercy! He stoops to the level of our need!

"The Love of God is greater far, than tongue or pen can ever tell!
It goes beyond the highest star, and even to the lowest Hell!"

Look at the mercy of Christ! "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the Earth" (Mat.12:40 KJV). He went down into the bowels of Hell and was one of them in order to preach the Gospel of deliverance to the spirits that were in prison there!

"Whither shall I go from Thy Spirit?--Or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into Heaven, Thou art there: if I make my bed in Hell, behold, Thou art there! If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold me!" (Ps.139:7-10 KJV).




Anchor TFI Online

SO IT PAYS TO FACE YOUR FEARS, recognise they're there, decide between the real and the unreal, the Truth and the lie, and go to the attack to dispel the vaporous fiction of the fairy tale and to drive away the genuine reality of real threat! David Berg

By Maria Fontaine 09/13

Faith is a vital element of our lives. Everything about our spiritual life requires faith‚ from the initial step of acceptance of the wonderful gift of salvation to calling on heaven’s power to work miracles.

We need faith every single day.—Faith to believe and receive the written Word, faith to hear from the Lord personally in prophecy, faith to obey and follow the Word‚ faith to lean on the Lord to supply our needs, faith to trust the Lord through difficult times, faith to entrust our lives and plans and loved ones to the Lord’s hands, faith to believe that our prayers will be answered, faith for healing and miracles and for facing a variety of challenging and even impossible situations—faith for so many things!

Principles of faith—a message from Jesus

Faith is not a complex matter. There are complex situations, but faith itself is built on simple principles. Faith is trusting—knowing that I Am, that I love you and want to help you, believing that My promises are for you personally, knowing that I answer prayer, even though that knowledge may run contrary to every one of your natural senses.

Little children can be good examples of faith. They have faith in their parents. They know that if they cry, someone will come; if they are hungry, they will be fed; if they need help, they will receive it. I used the example of children when teaching, calling little children unto Me and telling My disciples that they should humble themselves and receive the kingdom of God and the things of the kingdom like children—trusting, knowing‚ having faith.1

Faith may be tempted to waver, and it may have thoughts of doing so, for you are not perfect. But in the end, faith stands, for it believes in Me and is persuaded that I am able to do what I have promised.2 Faith is convinced that I am able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask or think.3 Faith knows that there is nothing too hard for Me, and that with Me‚ all things are possible.4

When you have faith, your heart is fixed, trusting in Me, and you are empowered to not be moved by bad news or evil tidings.5 You do not cast away your confidence‚ your faith, nor do you waver, like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.6 You know that I will come through for you and I will help you to overcome, no matter what the circumstances. That is faith, which greatly pleases Me, for this is the era of faith—of trusting and believing and knowing that I reward your faith.7 “For you walk by faith, not by sight.”8

It is given to every person to have a measure of faith9—faith to receive Me and to enter My kingdom. Thereafter, you must build your faith and grow your faith, and there are many ways of doing so. You can ask Me to increase your faith.10 I am both the author and finisher of your faith.11

You also increase your faith through studying My Word. Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God.12

1 Luke 18:15–17; Matthew 18:2–4.

2 Romans 4:21.

3 Ephesians 3:20.

4 Mark 10:27; Luke 1:37.

5 Psalm 112:7.

6 Hebrews 10:35; James 1:6.

7 Hebrews 11:6.

8 2 Corinthians 5:7.

9 Romans 12:3.

10 Luke 17:5.

11 Hebrews 12:2.

12 Romans 10:17.




Anchor TFI Online

New Year, New Commitments

As the door to the new year opens, and while you are thinking about the resolutions or commitments you will make, this is also a good time to put some thought and prayer into your relationship with Jesus, your prayer life, your service, your giving. The tasks of supporting ourselves and our families, raising and educating our children, taking care of our daily needs, are all vital responsibilities and part of what builds a better future in this life and world; yet we are reminded of what Jesus told His followers: “Desire first and foremost God’s kingdom and God’s righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Peter Amsterdam (Matthew 6:33 CEB)

Seven tips for strengthening your faith

Take the Word into your life. Drinking in the Word, absorbing it deep within you on a daily basis, and allowing it to become a part of your life is one of the most important things that you can do to boost your faith. “Faith cometh by hearing the Word of God.”15

Live the Word. Patterning your life around the principles of God’s Word plays a big role in the strengthening of your faith.

Employ willpower. Faith requires action. Faith means effort. “Faith without works is dead.”16 It takes work to put your faith into action, to take a stand of faith.

Praise. Praise is the voice of faith, the fruit of your lips giving thanks to His name.17 Praise invites the fruits of faith into your life.

Expect great things from God. Every promise in the Bible can be yours, whether you feel worthy of it or not. If you do your part to have faith and meet the conditions, He’s promised to fulfill His promises.

Rise above physical situations and conditions. Strive to focus on Jesus and His power when the situations you face seem overwhelming. There are difficulties, there are impossibilities, there are huge needs and sometimes setbacks. Then there’s the God of the universe, who supplied the entire world with water‚ plants, animals, life‚ time‚ order‚ seasons, and much more‚ in only six days. His power to intercede on our behalf is unlimited!

Allow Him to work in your life in the way He deems best. Learn to recognize the way that He uses things in your life to strengthen your faith‚ and yield to them. Grow through the tests that come your way. Hold on when you’re going through tough times. Choose to get the most mileage you can out of whatever battles you face by hearing from Jesus, and by fighting, and then receiving the enhanced faith and confidence that comes once the battle is over. If you make the right decisions‚ then the battles and tests and trials of life will strengthen your faith rather than weaken it.—Adapted from a message from Jesus

15 Romans 10:17.

16 James 2:26.

17 Hebrews 13:15.
**
THE BEST ABILITY IS AVAILABILITY.

God uses what is available, like you and me when we're available. He doesn't create saints out of thin air, He creates them out of flesh-and-blood and Salvation!

Most of the greatest saints the world has ever known were little people who just did what they thought should be done--without others hearing about it or even knowing they were around! But they were always there when they were needed, always willing to see the need and respond. And we, too, have real love for the Lord and others, we'll do whatever needs to be done! But He won't force us! It all depends upon us and our yieldedness and willingness to be made willing, total humility, which is synonymous with total love, so that we're willing to go anywhere, anytime, and do anything, for anybody, and be nobody, to please Him and help everybody!




Anchor TFI Online

“It's not how much we give but how much love we put into giving.” Mother Teresa

Love is action

I took my daughter, Helen (eight years old), and son, Brandon (five years old), to the Cloverleaf Mall in Hattiesburg to do a little shopping. As we drove up, we spotted a Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler parked with a big sign on it that said “Petting Zoo.” The kids jumped up in a rush and asked, “Daddy, Daddy. Can we go? Please. Please. Can we go?”

“Sure,” I said, flipping them both a quarter before walking into Sears. They bolted away and I felt free to take my time looking for a scroll saw. A petting zoo consists of a portable fence erected in the mall with about six inches of sawdust and a hundred little furry baby animals of all kinds. Kids pay their money and stay in the enclosure enraptured with the squirmy little critters while their moms and dads shop.

A few minutes later, I turned around and saw Helen walking along behind me. I was shocked to see she preferred the hardware department to the petting zoo. Plus, I thought the children had to wait till the parents came to pick them up. I bent down and asked what was wrong.

She looked up at me with those giant limpid brown eyes and said sadly, “Well, Daddy, it cost fifty cents. So, I gave Brandon my quarter.” Then she said the most beautiful thing I ever heard. She repeated the family motto: “Love is action!”

She had given Brandon her quarter, and no one loves cuddly furry creatures more than Helen. She had watched both me and my wife do and say “Love is action!” for years around the house. She had heard and seen “Love is action,” and now she had incorporated it into her little lifestyle. It had become part of her.

What do you think I did? Well, not what you might think. First, we went back to the petting zoo, since Brandon was by himself. We stood by the fence and watched Brandon go crazy petting and feeding the animals. Helen stood with her hands and chin resting on the fence and just watched Brandon. I had fifty cents burning a hole in my pocket; I never offered it to Helen, and she never asked for it.

Because she knew the whole family motto. It’s not “Love is action.” It’s “Love is SACRIFICIAL action!” Love always pays a price. Love always costs something. Love is expensive. When you love, benefits accrue to another’s account. Love is for you, not for me. Love gives; it doesn’t grab. Helen gave her quarter to Brandon and wanted to follow through with her lesson. … She wanted to experience that total family motto. Love is sacrificial action.—Dave Simmons, “Dad, The Family Coach”
**
“No one is useless in this world who lightens the burdens of another.” Charles Dickens

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” Winston S. Churchill

“You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.” Kahlil Gibran, The Prophet

“The belief that unhappiness is selfless and happiness is selfish is misguided. It's more selfless to act happy. It takes energy, generosity, and discipline to be unfailingly lighthearted, yet everyone takes the happy person for granted. No one is careful of his feelings or tries to keep his spirits high. He seems self-sufficient; he becomes a cushion for others. And because happiness seems unforced, that person usually gets no credit.” Gretchen Rubin

“A kind gesture can reach a wound that only compassion can heal.” Steve Maraboli




Anchor TFI Online

Do it now!

In a class I teach for adults, I recently did the “unpardonable.” I gave the class homework! The assignment was to “go to someone you love within the next week and tell them you love them. It has to be someone you have never said those words to before or at least haven’t shared those words with for a long time.”

Now that doesn’t sound like a very tough assignment, until you stop to realize that most of the men in that group were over 35 and were raised in the generation of men that were taught that expressing emotions is not “macho.” Showing feelings or crying (heaven forbid!) was just not done. So this was a very threatening assignment for some.

At the beginning of our next class, I asked if someone wanted to share what happened when they told someone they loved them. I fully expected one of the women to volunteer, as was usually the case, but on this evening one of the men raised his hand. He appeared quite moved and a bit shaken.

As he unfolded out of his chair (all 6’2” of him), he began by saying, “Dennis, I was quite angry with you last week when you gave us this assignment. I didn’t feel that I had anyone to say those words to, and besides, who were you to tell me to do something that personal? But as I began driving home, my conscience started talking to me. It was telling me that I knew exactly who I needed to say ‘I love you’ to. You see, five years ago, my father and I had a vicious disagreement and really never resolved it since that time. We avoided seeing each other unless we absolutely had to at Christmas or other family gatherings. But even then, we hardly spoke to each other. So, last Tuesday by the time I got home I had convinced myself I was going to tell my father I loved him.

“It’s weird, but just making that decision seemed to lift a heavy load off my chest."

“When I got home, I rushed into the house to tell my wife what I was going to do. She was already in bed, but I woke her up anyway. When I told her, she didn’t just get out of bed, she catapulted out and hugged my neck, and for the first time in our married life she saw me cry. We stayed up half the night drinking coffee and talking. It was great!

“The next morning I was up bright and early. I was so excited I could hardly sleep. I got to the office early and accomplished more in two hours than I had the whole day before.

“At 9:00 I called my dad to see if I could come over after work. When he answered the phone, I just said, ‘Dad, can I come over after work tonight? I have something to tell you.’ My dad responded with a grumpy, ‘Now what?’ I assured him it wouldn’t take long, so he finally agreed.

“I didn’t waste any time—I took one step in the door and said, ‘Dad, I just came over to tell you that I love you.’

“It was as if a transformation came over my dad. Before my eyes his face softened, the wrinkles seemed to disappear, and he began to cry. He reached out and hugged me and said, ‘I love you too, son, but I’ve never been able to say it.’

“It was such a precious moment I didn’t want to move. Mom walked by with tears in her eyes. I just waved and blew her a kiss. Dad and I hugged for a moment longer and then I left. I hadn’t felt that great in a long time.

“But that’s not even my point. Two days after that visit, my dad, who had heart problems, but didn’t tell me, had an attack and ended up in the hospital, unconscious. I don’t know if he’ll make it.

“So my message to all of you in this is: Don’t wait to do the things you know need to be done. What if I had waited to tell my dad—maybe I will never get the chance again! Take the time to do what you need to do and do it now!”—By Dennis E. Mannering




Anchor TFI Online

Let the words of my mouth and the thoughts of my heart be pleasing in your eyes, O Lord, my strength and my salvation. Psalm 19:14 BBE

By Steve Hearts January 21, 2015

Restlessness is a sensation we all experience at different points in our lives. A common reason for restlessness in the Christian walk is born out of a desire to find God’s highest will in our lives and to discover how to best reach our full potential. I’ve been dealing with this very sensation a lot lately.

There are things I’m certain that God has called me to do, which I’m quite anxious to get started on—such as start a healing ministry and break into writing. But it’s a matter of knowing when God’s perfect timing is and if the conditions are just right in order to avoid jumping ahead of Him.

Then there are my own personal desires. I’d like a companion with whom to share my life. Also, part of me wants to be closer to family members my ministry has kept me away from for years. I want to strengthen ties with them and catch up on lost time. I have questioned if these desires are part of God’s plan for my life and if I will be able to pursue them along with the calling He’s given me.

Although the outreach ministry I’m currently involved in has truly increased in fruitfulness, I’ve felt a growing inkling within me that it’s time to move on to something else, sort of like the way I graduated from one grade to another in school. This raises the question: Is this God’s voice speaking to me or merely my own emotions? Is it truly time to change and move on, or am I meant to remain where I’m at for a while longer?

I went through a period where these questions turned my mind into a spinning vortex, causing confusion and frustration. But recently I became aware that although restlessness of this type is sometimes God’s voice speaking to us about something, He doesn’t want us to live in confusion and frustration. He promises that if we come to Him, we will find rest to our souls.1 My restlessness was increasing to the point of robbing me of my happiness, joy, and peace of mind. God wants us to have peace and a sound state of mind.2 I’m now in the process of reducing this restlessness with the Lord’s help, so that it doesn’t weigh me down.

1 Matthew 11:29.
2 2 Timothy 1:7.
**
PRAY!--GOD HAS THE ANSWER!

All the answers are simple for the Lord and all the solutions are easy for Him! In fact, sometimes the Lord lets us have a problem in order that He can give us the answer! He likes to have us find out we can't always solve our problems and that we need His help! After all, if we could figure it all out and solve all our problems, we wouldn't need Him! He likes to give us answers to remind us that we're dependent on Him and we need Him. He likes us to appreciate His help and to love Him for it. He reads our minds and our wishes and our words to find out what we want, and then He gives it to us if it's good for us!--Like a father!

The Lord solves problems so easily if we just ask Him, but He likes us to ask Him! But sometimes our own pride gets in the way! We don't want to ask! We don't want to admit that we don't have the solution. It's independence! We don't want to admit that we can't solve it so we try to do it ourselves to the point of frustration, when all we need to do is ask and He has a simple answer!

"I may not know all the answers, but I know the Answer Man!" God's got all the answers! He knows it all! Try Jesus! He is the Answer! Praise God!




Anchor TFI Online

First of all, what many in the world do not know or understand is, that quoting Scriptures DOES NOT make you a Christian; saying you believe in God, yet denying the power thereof DOES NOT make you a Christian; Being a nice compassionate caring person DOES NOT make you a Christian; Doing good deeds DOES NOT make you a Christian; Being raised in a home where your parents took you or made you attend church every Sunday DOES NOT make you a Christian; attending church on special occasions as an EMC (Easter, Mother’s Day ,Christmas) church member DOES NOT make you a Christian; not given to smoking, cursing, drinking or drugging DOES NOTmake you a Christian.

Being a Christian is a spiritual happening on the inside of a person’s whole being (mind,body,soul,and spirit), and in his/her life and is a life-style change, that bring about a spiritual change, in a committed personal relationship connected to Jesus Christ in His Spirit with our spirit, and in truth; a person who has confessed his/her sins before God and turned away from those sins, has faith to believe that Jesus Christ paid their sin debt in a suffering death on the cross, to reconcile us back to God; therefore, there is NOW no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, who no longer walk (live) according to the flesh, but walk (live) according to the Spirit of God. This person is connected in a relationship with Christ, and is as Jesus says, YOU MUST BE BORN AGAIN! John chapter 3

A Christian is a person who has been REGENERATED by the Spirit of God and has been water baptized and resurrected as a new creature in Christ, which means born again in the Spirit and baptized in the water. The old creature (nature) has passed away, and behold that person is made new, filled (joined) with the holy Spirit of God, and set apart, called and seen as righteous in the eyes of God, because that person has taken on God's righteousness.

The Christian has no questions about following the teaching of Jesus Christ, and believes by faith that Jesus is God incarnated, the Creator of the universe; He/she is a public witness of this Gospel of Jesus Christ to all people freely professing and confessing his /her faith not just in words but life-style and deeds, believing in what Jesus has said, "For what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 38"For whoever is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will also be ashamed of him when He comes in the glory of His Father with the holy angels." Mark chapter 8

So, what then is REGENERATION?... glad you asked... Regeneration means to BE BORN AGAIN OR TO BE RESTORED FROM THE OLD SIN NATURE TO THE NEW SPIRITUAL NATURE IN CHRIST Jesus ... born again from above by God, through the washing away of our inner-man by the Holy Spirit, and forgiven by God of ALL sins. A person who has been regenerated the Holy Spirit takes up residence in the body (spirit) that person who has repented of their sins, and asked (invited) Jesus Christ to come into their heart. As Jesus let's the disciples know in John chapters 14 & 15. The Holy Spirit helps the believer to live as God has commanded us to live, He convicts our hearts of our sins when we sin, so that we can immediately repent and remain righteous (in good standing)before God.

Regeneration is the spiritual change in a person riding us of our sin nature and this enables us to respond to God by faith. Our minds are illuminated, our will to do things our way is no longer our mindset, sin is no longer of interest, and we have a new nature in Christ. Regeneration brings about a new disposition and a personal relationship with Jesus Christ is experienced. God opens up His knowledge, understanding and wisdom in Christ to us, and we are secure in life here on earth and eternal life in heaven. THIS IS WHAT BEING A TRUE CHRISTIAN IS ALL ABOUT!!
continue...

Here are some of the steps He’s shown me to take in this direction:

The confusion and frustration brought on by my restlessness was largely due to the fact that I kept it all to myself. I bottled it up inside without sharing it with anyone. By nature, I’m not a particularly good communicator. I always look for an excuse to not be totally open, and even hope that people will eventually read my mind. This “hope” has never materialized. I know perfectly well that it’s my own pride that holds me back from being open and honest with others. Although I’m blessed to have a personal connection with the Lord, being honest with others about my restlessness has helped me a lot. God very often speaks to me through their advice and perspective.

It pays to come to the Lord with an open mind and without any will of my own, if I truly want to know what His highest and best will is. The abandoning of my own will is no easy task. This is why, during such times with the Lord when I’m earnestly seeking His will, I repeat Jesus’ words from Gethsemane over and over: “Nevertheless, not my will, but Thine be done.”3 Each time I repeat it, I ask Him to help me truly mean it, so that it’s not merely a “vain repetition.”

I may come to the Lord seeking answers to my restlessness and not receive all the answers I’m hoping for. I may only receive part of what I’m requesting. At one point I felt like I’d run into a stone wall and didn’t know where to go. Why couldn’t the Lord just give me the whole kit and caboodle instead of merely part of the revelation? The answer was found in my devotional reading for that day, which was based on Habakkuk 2:3: “For the vision is yet for an appointed time… Though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.” The indication could not have been clearer. The answers I was still searching for would come to me at God’s appointed time. All I had to do was wait. Since then I’ve received some answers which arrived just when God knew I needed them. They could not have come any sooner or any later.

For example, at that time I was writing many articles and submitting them to various websites. I found this very fulfilling, but I felt certain that it would soon lead to another step in my pursuit of writing. I just couldn’t quite put my finger on it. I’d always wanted to write a book, but had no idea what it would contain. However, just recently, after several more articles were written, I received the exciting idea, which was like a revelation to me, to take my articles and modify them so they take on the form of chapters, and combine them into one volume. This project is currently underway. This revelation gave me faith to continue waiting on the Lord and believing that my remaining questions would be answered in His perfect time.

Last but not least, I must learn to accept the rest that the Lord wants to give me. This is something I’m still working on mastering. It has proven most effective to tell the Lord over and over, “I accept the rest that You want to give me.” I keep saying this until it becomes part of me. Initially my heart and mind will protest. I’ll feel things creaking inside me as I try to reverse habitual thought patterns and accept God’s thoughts. But the peace I experience in the end makes it worth it all.

If you are looking for rest to your soul, rest assured that it can be found. He longs to give it to us. We just have to willingly accept and receive it.

3 Luke 22:42.
**
WE HAVE TO RECEIVE THE GIFTS OF GOD BY THE EFFORT OF FAITH.

God wants you to ask so He can give your faith part of the credit and He can reward your faith with an answer. He wants you to share in both the credit and the benefits, even though it is all by grace and it all came from Him to begin with--Heaven's bank of exchange, Your burdens for His blessings!




Anchor TFI

A compilation January 13, 2015

For God alone my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation.—Psalm 62:1 (1)

Entering into the silence of God

A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon-possession.”

Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us.” He answered, “I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.”

The woman came and knelt before him. “Lord, help me!” she said.

He replied, “It is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to their dogs.”

“Yes, Lord,” she said, “but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters’ table.”

Then Jesus answered, “Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour.—Matthew 15:22–28 (2)

*

I have always been impressed with the Canaanite woman in Matthew 15:21–28. How could this woman face the silence of Jesus when her need was so great? How could she stand firm while the living God was standing right in front of her? She could touch Him. She knew He had the power and authority to heal her daughter because she calls Him Lord and addresses Him as “Son of David.” Yet, Jesus remains silent.

What is extraordinary is how this unknown hero of the faith pushes into the silence. She ignores the words of the disciples. She forsakes the wisdom of humankind and pushes into the abyss of silence.… Without fear and with courage she looks behind the silence. Helmut Thielecke says, “The silence of God and of Jesus is not one of indifference. It is the silence of higher thoughts.”

The greatest silence in the history of humankind took place on Golgotha when God the Father remained silent as His Son cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” These words echoed and reverberated through the Kidron and Hinnom Valleys that surrounded Jerusalem. Slowly fading into deeper silence. But God lay hidden behind the silence, planning the demise of Satan, overcoming the inability of the Temple to forgive sin, and designing a plan to conquer sin and provide a way for humankind to know God personally. God raised His Son to life. A feat He planned to repeat for everyone who calls on the name of His Son.

Somehow, with eyes of faith, this Canaanite woman sees this God behind the silence as her only hope. She risks everything and pushes into the silence of God. She is rewarded. Her daughter is healed.—Craig Smith

1 ESV.

2 NIV.
**
IF YOU WORK FOR HIM, HE'LL TAKE CARE OF YOU!

If you love Him and delight yourself in Him and work faithfully to try to love others and help them, He'll do anything for you, anything! He'll supply all your need according to His riches in glory! (Phi.4:19). He'll even give you the desires of your heart, anything you want! (Psa.37:4).--Not only whatever you need, but your wants as well! It's the Word of God, it's the promises of God and you have no excuse for not claiming those promises!

Most of God's blessings and rewards are dependent upon your obedience and worthiness, your doing a good job faithfully. The Lord doesn't reward you for loafing, the Lord rewards you for faithful good work. The minute you start obeying and working, God will do His part without fail! He will bless!

May God help you to have faith to believe God and His guarantees and be willing to obey Him and work at it, to do everything you can do, so that God can do the things you can't do. Are you a good and faithful servant? If so, God will take care of you! The good and faithful servants enter into the joy of their Lord! Here and now and there and then!




Anchor TFI Online

A pause for reflection

“As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God. My soul thirsts for God, for the living God ... My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long, ‘Where is your God?’” 3

Here is someone who is hungering for a word from God. He alludes to a difficult time, a season where he has been calling out to God in the midst of pain, grief, or confusion. From all angles, it appears as if God is silent to his cries. So much so that those around him say, “Where is this God of yours that you pray to?” But notice what he goes on to write—words that read as if they were transcribed from the most reflective of journals:

“Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God ... My soul is downcast within me; therefore I will remember you.”4

The psalmist comes to see that there is no silence—there’s just an answer coming from God that’s deeper than words. God is present, and speaking, but what He’s saying isn’t resting on the surface waters of life.

When I was nineteen years old and in college, I was invited to a weekend party at a nearby university. My friend, Phil, was going, and encouraged me to come along. He said that there would be five of us in the car, but there would be room. I wanted to go, and tried to make it happen, but couldn’t.

They left without me on a Friday afternoon. Two days later, as they returned to campus, a car from the opposite flow of traffic crossed the dividing line, became airborne, and landed headfirst into their car. All four were killed instantly.

I first heard the news late that Sunday night. I left my dorm, walked over to the nearby athletic complex, hopped a locked fence, and sat in the empty football stadium under a moonlit sky. I grieved for my friend; I thought of the brevity of life, and how close I had come to being killed. I remember crying out to God to help me sort it all out, to make sense of it all. To talk to me ... to say something ... anything!

Silence.

In truth, it was one of the deepest conversations we had ever had. He was speaking to me, moving within me, communing and communicating with me on levels that had never been opened to Him before. It was the start of many conversations—some even more traumatic.

Within four months I became a Christian. It is of paramount importance to consider that it’s not silence we’re encountering, but a pregnant pause; a prompting to engage in personal reflection so that the deepest of answers, the most profound of responses, can be given—and heard.—James Emory White

*

God suffers with us, feels every anguish, knows every doubt. Being infinite does not mean merely infinitely large, but infinitely small as well, so that he understands and experiences our silence, our pain, with us, not just in a theoretical way, but deeply and completely. Sometimes in our suffering, in the midst of silence we have the wind knocked out of us, and there is nothing left to pray with. God knows this, and you can be sure that he is at that moment praying for you.—Derek Flood

3 Psalm 42:1–3 NIV.

4 Psalm 42:5–6 NIV.
**
“The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” Isaiah 32:17




Anchor TFI Online