Stop And Behold

The Bible teaches that "old things have passed away, behold, all things become new" (2 Corinthians 5:17). This verse is telling you to stop what you're doing and take notice of what God is doing. If you don't like what's been happening, then behold, stop and take notice.

This is precisely what you are to do on this first day of the rest of your life. God is telling you that now is the time to stop and behold. Do not look at what is seen but stop and look at what is unseen. Look at life through the eyes of faith.

There is a physical world and there is a spiritual world. The physical world is temporary and the spiritual world is eternal. Why look at what is here today and gone tomorrow? No, with eyes of faith stop and behold that which lasts forever. Look into the world of the eternal.

Sometimes the bad things in life can overwhelm you. It appears that your problems are bigger than you are and, in truth, sometimes they are. But how much more in awe should you be and overwhelmed by what takes place in the realm of the spirit?

The difference between a natural person and a spiritual person is what's on their mind. The natural person looks at what is temporary and the spiritual person looks at what is eternal. The question to be asked is, "What's on your mind?"

What you think about determines the direction your life will take. "As a man thinks in his heart, so is he" (Proverbs 23:7). Your life is programmed to go in the direction of your most dominant thought. What you think about determines what you'll do, where you'll go, and what you will become. Never minimize the value of a Godly thought. Your thoughts become your desires and the Bible says that God will give you the desires of your heart. The key is to stop and behold.

When you woke up this morning did you like everything you saw around you? If not, then stop and behold. Those things are subject to change. They probably won't change instantly. The Bible says old things "become" new. And when does this change occur? When you look at life through the eyes of faith.

You may not like everything you see in your life today. Most likely there are many things in your life that are not as they should be. But when you look into the eternal you will see God moving on your behalf. What you don't like in the natural world will soon be gone and will be replaced by that which no man can touch. You must not look at where you've been but must stop and behold where you're going. This is the key to success.

As you look ahead you will see a future that is bright, a future fueled by and sustained by the glory of God. With eyes of faith you will see His goodness and His favor overwhelming you like never before. You also will see the devil stepping in and trying to put a damper on those plans. Rest assured, he will not be successful as long as you look at the situation with eyes of faith.

You can counter his evil schemes by taking a moment to stop and behold all that God has already done for you. As you do that, old things pass away and the things of God become new. Before long you will see them manifesting before your very eyes. The things of the devil don't have a ground to stand on but the things of God are founded on a Rock!

The reason many people are vagabonds and drift around in life aimlessly is because they haven't taken the time to stop and behold. They do not know which direction their life will take because they don't know where they're going. They focus too much on the past and present and never take the time to stop and see where God is taking them.

Their attitude is "whatever will be, will be" and "it is what it is." They believe they have no power to control their future but they are wrong. This power comes when they take the time to stop and behold. This power is supernatural and like a giant locomotive it has the ability to pull you through your current circumstances to a life that is filled with the glory of God.

Sad to say, the world is filled with people who like to be controlled like a puppet on a string. It's easier to let other people and certain events dictate which direction their life will take. Do not let this happen to you. God has given you one life to live and you must rise up and take stewardship of that which you've been given. You do that when you see into the realm of the spirit and by faith allow the Lord to order your steps accordingly.

Your responsibility is to obey the direction of the Lord and have the courage to put one foot in front of the other. As you do that consistently, in time you will arrive at the place you saw when you took the time to look at life through the eyes of faith.

For sure, this is a glorious place. It has to be because the Lord brought you here. A heavenly aroma fills this place and the smell of victory is everywhere. There are no weights holding you down and in the spirit you feel light as a feather.

You have come to be in the perfect will of God for your life and there is no more glorious place to be. It's wonderful! It's radiant! It's exciting! It's glorious! You have no worries here, no frets or concerns. You are in the arms of your beloved Jesus. He is your shepherd and you shall not want. Old things have indeed passed away and most certainly all things that pertain to your life have become new.

With the arms of Jesus around you it really doesn't matter what your circumstances are. What matters is that you let Jesus take you where He wants you to go. What you think is important today won't be important tomorrow. What is important is that you find your "secret place" where the presence of God dwells and by faith and obedience you go where He tells you to go and stay where He tells you to stay.

This is what the spiritual life is all about. God always leads you in triumph and in Him you go from glory to glory. Is there a better future than this? Certainly not!

Never let yourself get too caught up in the hustle and bustle of life. Your life and the days you live are more important than that. Stop and smell the roses. There is a whole other life out there waiting to be lived and you can live it when you slow down and take notice of what's out there.

Your godly thoughts and faith-filled imagination will become a photograph of the direction your life is taking. It tells you where you're going and what your life will become. There are no limits here and you can go as far as you want. Don't accept second best. Slow down, stop and behold, and become all you were meant to be. It's called living the good life.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Clothe Yourself With Humility

Clothe yourself with humility,

Don’t try to take first place.

For God opposes all the proud,

But gives the humble grace.

Humble yourself beneath God’s hand,

Someday He’ll lift you high.

Cast your anxiety on Him,

His care will never die.

Be self-controlled and on alert,

Satan is prowling round.

He’s like a lion seeking prey;

Stand firm and don’t give ground.

Stand firm and steadfast in the faith;

You’re not alone in trial.

Your Christian brothers round the earth

Suffer like you a while.

The God of grace will see you through;

Someday His face you’ll see.

You’ll share the glory of His Son

For all eternity.

And after you have suffered here,

God will remove your care.

He’ll make you strong, steadfast, and firm;

His be the power fore’er!

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

No Compromise!

Text: James 4:4; 1 John 2:15

No compromise with evil shall be our battle cry,

For God and right must conquer, and sin and wrong must die;

Unflinching we are standing, uncompromisingly,

Beneath the flag of holiness forever we will be.

No compromise, no compromise,

This shall be our battle cry,

For God and right we will boldly fight,

We will keep the standard high.

No compromise with error, for Bible truth we stand,

Let none remove the landmarks erected by God’s hand.

With loyalty our watchword and faith in Christ our stay,

We’ll bravely storm the forts of sin and thro’ Him win the day.

No compromise with worldliness, no yielding to the wrong,

No lowering the standard that’s stood thro’ ages long;

With Jesus as our leader, His Spirit as our guide,

We’ll firmly stand for righteousness whatever may betide.

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Believing Is Seeing!

Text: Matthew 21:21-22; James 1:6

“If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you” (Matthew 17:20). Jesus was telling us that before we can see the supernatural happen we must first believe in the possibility of it.

When the Holy Spirit came with power upon the first generation of Christians, it was, at least in part, because they expected to see God’s power revealed. They had seen it before, and they would settle for nothing less. A mudpack in a blind man’s eyes is not supposed to return his sight, but it did! Five loaves and two small fishes are not enough to feed five thousand hungry people, but they were! Dead people do not come alive again, but they did!

All these things and more they had seen at the hands of the One who told them, “He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do” (John 14:12). They expected Christ to keep His word and He did.

Do we really believe this today? Do you believe it? Have your expectations of Jesus and His power been dimmed somehow? Have you filed them away in the dark, dusty corner of what used to be? Will you be satisfied with less than those who passed the message of Christ along to you?

What do you believe about God’s ability to transform lives today? These are questions each of us must answer. For I tell you that we experience no greater manifestation of His power than we are willing to believe, nay, expect. Whether we think Christ can and will, or cannot and will not, we will always be right. “…be it unto you according to your faith and believe.”

Our expectations become self-fulfilling prophecies. From the world’s perspective ‘seeing is believing’, but as Christians, you first have to ‘believe it to see it’ or rather, you can and will only see God’s power transforming your circumstances when you eventually bring yourself to believe in Him and His word.

Finally brethren, our expectations largely determine our future experience. However, “…it is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy” (Romans 9:15-16).

*** By Robert Leslie Holmes | The Breath of Abundant Life ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Praise: Therein Lies Your Victory

Text: Psalm 50:14-15, 23; 2 Chronicles 20:21-22

It is natural to praise God when something good happens or when everything is rosy, but it takes real sacrifice to offer praise when you have a tough problem. Then, you don’t feel like it because you are weary or you feel like God let you down. You think He is distant from you, or does not really care about what is troubling you when life has just dealt you some painful blows.

Well, here is what makes a big difference! Praising God in the time of adversity, though not a natural response, is a sure path to victory. I encourage you to praise God always, whatever your situation, because there is power in praise; therein lies your victory.

Praise invites God’s presence and paves the way for His power to be displayed in your life. King Jehoshaphat understood this quite well, and deployed the weapon of praise in the war between Judah and the combined forces of the Ammonites, Moabites and Mount Seir.

As Judah raised her voice in praise, “The Lord set ambushments against the children of Ammon, Moab and mount Seir, which were come against Judah; and they were smitten. For the children of Ammon and Moab stood up against the inhabitants of mount Seir, utterly to slay and destroy them: and when they had made an end of the inhabitants of Seir, everyone helped to destroy another” (2 Chronicles 20:22-23).When you’re confronted with situations beyond your power and ability, sing praises to God, and He will pull you through.

The apostle Paul also experienced the power of praise in his life and ministry. When he was locked up in a Philippians jail with his companion, Silas, and throbbing with pain from the severe beating they had received from the jailors, he looked away from his predicament and praised God earnestly. God miraculously released him and Silas by opening all the prison doors through earthquake that shook the foundations of the prison (Acts 16:23-26). Miracle happens when you praise God.

Praise passed your battle over to God. It helps you place your trust in God and look away from your problem. It also makes you remember God’s great acts of the past in your life and leaves no room for you to complain and be negative. Praise lifts your faith. You cannot sincerely praise God and remain despondent and doubtful of His ability to pull you through your circumstance. As you praise God, your spirit is lifted, your anxiety dissipated, and your nerves calmed.

However, you cannot truly praise God or experience the wonders of praise except you accept Jesus as your Saviour and Lord. That means, you must confess your sins to God, ask Him to forgive you, repent of those sins, believe in Jesus, and live by the Word of God.

Praise is a potent weapon in the hand of a Christian and the pathway to victory. So, when next you are confronted with a situation that is beyond you, praise God just as Jehoshaphat, the people of Judah, Paul and Silas did when they had a tough problem. He will give you the victory you deserve.

*** Written by Pastor W.F. Kumuyi | DCLM Women Mirror ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

The Cause Of Worry And Anxiety

Text: Mark 4:40; Matthew 8:26-27

Each time our Lord Jesus rebuked His disciples for lack of faith or for little faith, it was because they refused to consider and think logically (Matthew 8:23-26; Mark 4:35-40; Matthew 14:28-31; 16:6-11). The very cause of worry and anxiety is littleness of faith or the lack of it, and the reason for the littleness or lack of faith is the absence of proper consideration or logical thinking.

"Consider the lilies ... O ye of little faith." Our failure to consider the acts of God - His care for creatures of time, things that exist today, and are forgotten tomorrow - is the major cause of our worry and anxiety. We have both earthly dignity and eternal destiny; we have an existence beyond this life which the lilies of the field do not have. And "... if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? "

If God has done the seemingly insignificant thing, will He not do the supremely important thing? If God cares for creatures of no value, will He not care for new creatures of eternal value? If God protects and provides for unclean creatures (Matthew 6:26; 10:29-31; Job 38:41; Deuteronomy 14:12,14,19), will He not protect and provide for new clean creatures who are cleansed by the blood of His only begotten Son? Consider the acts of God and think logically on the actions and kindness of God; then, you will have faith in God. Faith will banish fear, worry and anxiety.

1.            UNNECESSARY ANXIETY OF SONS WITH LITTLE FAITH

Matthew 6:28,30; Luke 12:28; Deuteronomy 8:3,4; Nehemiah 9:21; Luke 22:35; Matthew 16:7-11; Luke 8:25; 1 Timothy 6:6-8; Luke 24:17,25; John 3:12.

"And why take ye thought for raiment? " Our Lord asks, why are you worried and anxious for clothing? Is not the body more than raiment? If God has given us our body and is feeding the body, keeping it in good health, will He not also clothe the body? If He has appointed our diet and responsibility which can only be done in a body that is appropriately clothed or dressed, will He not provide adequate and appropriate clothes for us?

Dressing is not an end by itself; it is to clothe us so we can fulfill the purpose of living. God has ordained that purpose of living. The purpose for each life on earth is important to God. That purpose must be our central concern. Dressing is not our only or main purpose of living. We are not living for the purpose of dressing; we are dressing to fulfill the purpose of living. And He who has ordained the purpose of living will supply all that is needed to fulfill the purpose.

Only unbelief or little faith can doubt that but "Consider." When we consider what God considers, little faith will give way to lively faith in our hearts and we will know and believe that He will supply all our needs to fulfill the divinely appointed purpose.

2.            UNNOTICED APPAREL OF SOLOMON AND LILIES' FRAILTY

Matthew 6:28-30; 1 Kings 4:29-31,34; 10:4-9; 2 Chronicles 9:22-24; James 1:10,11: Luke 12:27,28; Acts 12:20-23; Proverbs 4:5-9; Deuteronomy 22:5; Zephaniah 1:8; 1 Timothy 2:9; 1 Peter 3:3,4.

In the Scriptural account and record concerning Solomon, his apparel or clothing was not noticed as much as his wisdom and riches (Matthew 12:42; Luke 11:31). Physical appearance and adornment were not his consuming passion. He did not have inordinate desire or carnal concern for clothing. Adequate and proper clothing is necessary but clothing without wisdom would not have helped to fulfill his calling as a king.

Solomon's mind was not set on fashion or dressing. His great request was for wisdom. "Give me now wisdom and knowledge, that I may go out and come in before this people: for who can judge this thy people, that is so great " (2 Chronicles 1:10). Physical beauty is but skin-deep and the most adorned body soon loses its appeal in a few short years. The fulfilment of life's great purpose should be our highest desire.

We are also to "consider the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven." When we behold the beauty of lilies, flowers and the grass, we often forget that their loveliness quickly vanishes. Consider the frailty of the grass and remember that its destiny is the oven. Instead of being so worried and anxious about transient beauty and loveliness that soon vanish away and are forgotten, let's follow and desire "the beauty of holiness", the beauty that fadeth not away (1 Peter 1:24; 1 Chronicles 16:29).

3.            UNFAILING ASSURANCE OF SAINTS WITH LIVELY FAITH

Matthew 6:30; Luke 12:28,29; Isaiah 44:21; 49:15,16; Luke 12:6,7; Psalms 37:3-11,16-19,25-31; 84:11,12; Philippians 4:6,19; Matthew 6:8,32,33; Romans 8:32.

"O ye of little faith." Little faith creates anxiety, lively faith conquers anxiety. Little faith breeds worry, lively faith banishes worry. Little faith produces fear, lively faith prevents fear. Little faith makes us panic, lively faith makes us peaceful. Little faith fills us with cares; lively faith fills us with calm. With little faith comes anxiety and vexation of spirit, with lively faith comes assurance and victory in our soul.

"Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith? " He will clothe us. He will not clothe us with strange apparel or forbidden dresses, He will clothe us appropriately. Will He not feed us? He will feed us. He will not feed us with "unclean" meat or "meats offered to idols" (Acts 15:29), but He will feed us with proper and appropriate food. Will He not heal our body and make us strong? He will heal us. He will not heal us with traditional and satanic powers of darkness. He will heal us in His own appointed way.

Lively faith does not doubt God. We always draw near unto God "with a true heart in full assurance of faith", knowing that "He is faithful that promised" (Hebrews 10:22,23).

*** Culled from Pastor W.F. Kumuyi Bible Study | Deeper Christian Life Ministry ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Kenneth Hagin On “Faith Is An Act”

Text: James 2:14-26; Mark 9:20-26

Some years ago, a friend of mine told me about a woman evangelist who preached in the early days of the Pentecostal Movement. In one of her meetings, she ministered to four people in wheelchairs. To all four she said in a quiet voice, “Arise and walk in Jesus’ Name!”

And they all got up and walked – except the fourth one. “I can’t walk,” she said. “The others couldn't walk, either,” the evangelist pointed out, “but they did.” The woman replied, “I know they did, but I can’t walk. I haven’t walked in years. I can’t walk.” And the evangelist had to walk away and leave her sitting there, still in unbelief.

Results Are Forthcoming

You see, when those first three people began to act upon what was told them, results were forthcoming. When you act upon what God’s Word says, or act upon what the Holy Spirit may speak to your heart, results are forthcoming. That is faith!

Faith is an act

A woman in one of the churches I pastored had arthritis and was in a wheelchair. The doctor had told her some years before that her body eventually would become rigid and she wouldn't be able to move. She would become confined to a wheelchair, her body fixed in a sitting position. And it did come to pass; her body was stiff as a board.

She and her husband never missed a service. Now, I could pray for this woman and she would receive instant healing for such minor ailments as the flu or a cold. But it bothered me that she never once asked for prayer for healing from the arthritis.

There were people in that church who had been healed of very serious ailments, and I knew it was God’s will to heal her too. Some might argue, “Well, it may not be God’s will,” but I know it is God’s will to heal people! (That doesn't mean that Christians who don’t get healed aren't going to heaven. It just means they are robbed of a blessing while on this earth.)

One afternoon a small group of us from the church went to this crippled, woman’s house to pray with her determined to see her delivered from that wheelchair. As we prayed, I saw exactly what God wanted me to do.

I said to everyone, “Get back away from her.” We were in a large room. I went across the room from her and said, “Everybody watch, but I don’t want anyone to touch her. Stay away from her.” Then I pointed a finger at her and said, “Now, my Sister, arise and walk in the Name of Jesus Christ!”

My wife and I and the members of that prayer group are witnesses to the fact that the power of God lifted her up out of that chair. She sat suspended in mid-air above the wheelchair! She could move her arms and immediately she reached down with those little, crippled hands for the wheelchair. The moment she did, she fell back down into the chair.

As she did, without thinking – I know it was the Spirit of God in me – I pointed to her and said, “Sister, you don’t have an ounce of faith, do you? You don’t believe you’ll ever be healed of this arthritis, do you?” She blurted out, “No, Brother Hagin, I don’t. I’ll die and go to my grave with it.” And she did.

It’s Up To You To Obey

You cannot receive from God beyond actual faith. Do you know what would have happened if she had cooperated with God’s healing power? She would have been healed. Every joint in her body would have been loosened. She would have begun to walk!

Too many people think that God’s power – healing power, Holy Spirit power – is going to move on them and make them do something whether they want to do it or not. No! That wouldn't be the Holy Spirit; that would be an evil spirit. Evil spirits force, drive, and compel you to do things. But the Holy Spirit urges, prompts, or gives a gentle push. Then it is up to you to respond. It is up to you to obey.

While I was conducting a meeting in Texas, a woman in that town wrote a friend in another city, telling her how many were receiving the baptism in the Holy Spirit in the services. She invited her friend down for the weekend services.

The friend drove down and was in two of our services before coming forward to receive the Holy Spirit. I laid my hands on her head, prayed and the Holy Spirit came upon her. The utterance came. But I couldn't get her to respond or receive.

Faith

In the next service, which was Sunday morning, she came again for prayer. Once again the Holy Spirit came upon her and gave her utterance, but again she did not yield and receive. I knew exactly what was wrong, but I knew it would take time to instruct her, and it was getting late. I turned the service over to the pastor.

Then I slipped through the side door and was walking across the parking lot toward the parsonage when I saw her sitting in her car. She looked disappointed as she sat there a moment before turning the ignition key to begin her journey home.

I asked the Lord to let me help her. Instantly the Spirit of God showed me how to quickly help her. I walked over to her car, opened my Bible to Acts 2:4, and as I handed it to her through the window, I asked her to read it aloud.

She read, “And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.” “Sister,” I asked, “who does the Scripture say did the speaking with tongues?” She replied, “It says the Holy Ghost did.”

I asked her to read it again. She read it again. I asked her the same question. She gave the same reply. So I repeated the question. Finally, on the fourth time around, she caught on that something must be wrong, so she began to read slowly, “And – they – were – all – filled – with – the – Holy – Ghost – and – began – to – speak…”

Looking astonished, she said, “Why, THEY did!” She took my Bible out of its case and examined it. She said she thought perhaps I had a different Bible from hers, but it was the same – a Scofield reference edition.

“You know,” she said, “I always thought the Holy Spirit did the speaking.” I told her I had known that. Then I said, “Let’s read several other Scriptures. God’s Word says that out of the mouth of two or three witnesses shall a thing be established.”

We read Acts 10:44-46: While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word. And they of the circumcision, which believed, were astonished, as many as came with Peter, because that on the Gentiles also was poured out the gift of the Holy Ghost. For they heard THEM speak with tongues and magnify God….

“Oh,” she exclaimed, “I see it!”

“That’s two witnesses,” I said. “Let’s get three.” So we read Acts 19:6, “And when Paul had laid his hands upon them, the Holy Ghost came on them; and THEY spake with tongues, and prophesied.”

The woman said, “You know, Brother Hagin, if I had been called to testify in a court and the lawyer had asked me who did the speaking in tongues, I would have said the Holy Spirit did, and I would have thought I was telling the truth.”

I said, “I want to ask you something. When I laid my hands on you, did you sense the Holy Spirit? Did the power of God come upon you?”

“Absolutely,” she answered.

“Did your tongue want to say something that wasn't English?”

“Why,” she said, “it was all I could do to keep it from it.”

“You’re not supposed to keep it from it,” I told her.

“You’re supposed to cooperate. When the Holy Spirit gives you utterance, you must have faith to act.”

Immediately she began to speak in a most beautiful tongue.

Faith Is Acting On God’s Word

It’s time to quit hanging around and to start acting on the Word of God, because faith is acting.

Believe all things are possible

I was in one church where there was a man who had been severely burned over the lower part of his body. He couldn't walk; he just scooted along. In one of the services, the Holy Spirit told me to have everyone who had something wrong with them from their hips down to come into the healing line. This man was the first in line.

I waited until they were all in line before I told them what else God had said for me to tell them to do. I went up to this man and asked, “Can you run?”

It took him by surprise. “Oh, my God, no,” he said. “I can’t even walk, much less run.”

I said, “That’s what the Lord has told me to do – to tell you to run.”

The man didn't even give it a second thought. He turned and started scooting up the aisle as fast as he could. The third time he came around, the Spirit of the Lord came upon me and I jumped off that platform, grabbed the man by the hand, and ran around that building with him. When we got back to the front, he was walking normally; not scooting. He was perfectly healed.

However, if I hadn't been able to get him to cooperate and act on his faith, I couldn't have helped him. Faith, you see, is acting on God’s Word – doing whatever He says to do in His Word, or whatever He may say to us in the Spirit.

It’s one thing to believe. It’s another to believe and act on that belief!

*** Written by Rev. Kenneth E. Hagin | Hope Faith Prayer Ministry ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

Is It Better To Die?

Text: Job 3; James 1:2-3; Hebrews 12:7

Key Verse: "After this, Job opened his mouth and cursed the day of his birth" (Job 3:1).

In this chapter we find that Job asks three very poignant questions. The first one is, Why was I ever born? Job hopes his birthday will be forgotten. He is looking back to the day of his birth, and, although he cannot change it, he is saying, May its anniversary be ignored. Let it be a day that is darkened; let no one rejoice in it. Let it be a day of cursing instead of blessing. The reason for Job's outcry is this was the day he was born, the day that produced him. You can see at this point how his life has become so miserable that he longs for death. Even all that he has enjoyed in the past seems of no value in the face of this tremendous anguish that he must endure.

Although Job comes very close to cursing God, he never does. He does curse the day of his birth, and he curses what God has allowed to happen. You can see how the pressure is increasing, and Job is beginning to break and crumble under it, as this unceasing, unexplained anguish goes on.

I do not think anything is harder for us to bear than unexplained trouble. If we could see some reason for what we have to go through, we could endure it much more easily. But when trouble seems to be pointless, it is a terrible strain on the soul. This is what Job is experiencing, so he cries out, Why was I ever born?

His second question is, Having been born, why didn't I die at birth? He says, My life has been totally meaningless. It would have been better to have died when I was born. Job views death as a time of rest, a period of solitude and quiet after the tumult and trouble of life. I think many people see death that way. These verses indicate that Job's understanding of life after death needs to be enlightened a great deal, and that is one of the reasons this suffering came into his life. At the end of the book, Job's view of death is quite different than it was at the beginning.

Job's third question is, Why can't I die now? Job's argument is, What's the purpose of my life? Of what use is a life that is so filled with misery that you can do nothing but suffer and feel anguish? My life produces only fear and trouble, so it would be better to end it now. Many people feel that way. I do not think Job is thinking of suicide – he is asking God to take him home. There is no purpose to life, he says, when it is not enjoyable. That is a very common argument, and one of the reasons we have been given this book is to help us understand that life can still have a great deal of meaning, even when it looks absolutely useless.

*** Written by Ray Stedman Ministries | www.raystedman.org ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ

You Don't Need God?

Text: Ruth 1:1-5; Isaiah 40:31; Proverbs 16:9, 19:16

Key Verse: There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12)

The times were tough. Famine dawned on the land and the people had very little to survive on. They were perturbed by their present circumstance and saw no rays of hope in sight, but hardly could they forget that “they that know their God shall be strong and do exploits” (Daniel 11:32).

The people of Bethlehemjudah waited on the Lord for succor but among them was one so unfortunate who took not counsel from the Lord and felt he didn’t need God to tell him what to do with his life. He chose the path that pleased him only that it led to his death and destruction.

The story of Elimelech often reminds me of man’s weakness, naivety and folly to think we can live our lives without God (Proverbs 19:3a). We feel we own our lives and can do whatever pleases us forgetting that “many are the plans in a man’s heart but it is the will and counsel of the Lord that shall prevail.”

Elimelech and his family chose the way of pride by leaving the tabernacle of the Lord in Bethlehemjudah to seek refuge in a foreign land of Moab where its people neither revered nor obeyed the commandments of God. This teaches a lesson that no matter how awful our predicaments in life may be, forsaking the Lord and choosing our own path will always turn out to be a grave mistake.

Our resolve to stick with God should be on the basis of “for better or worse”, “in good times and bad times”, till thy kingdom come and His will done on earth as it is in heaven. We must put God first in everything we do, trusting Him with all of our hearts and leaning not on our own understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6).

If only had Elimelech sought the face of the Lord before making the move to Moab, his death and that of his two sons, Mahlon and Chilion, would have been averted. Naomi, his wife and mother of his sons, wouldn’t have turned out a helpless widow.

I believe God wants us to learn and understand that decisions made without His acknowledgement doesn’t end well. He wants us to have at the back of our minds that without Him we can do nothing on our own.

We shouldn’t be overwhelmed by the gains of pride and get to the point we feel we do not need God in our lives (Proverbs 16:18a). Elimelech thought he had escaped the burdens of famine and delighted is soul with the fleeting abundance of an ungodly city as Moab. Sadly, he never for once thought of going back to where he came from.

Folly is what makes a man think he can find happiness and fulfillment on his own terms without God. But hear the words of wisdom: “Man’s going are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own way? The fear of the Lord tendeth to life: and he that hath it shall abide satisfied; he shall not be visited with evil (Proverbs 19:23; 20:24).”

When Naomi realized her mistakes with tears and sorrow in her heart (Ruth 1:19-22), she returned to the Lord and look what happened to her in the succeeding chapters of the book of Ruth. She found favour and grace from God. Even Ruth, her daughter in law wasn’t exempted from this favour because she decided to worship and service the living God of Israel (Ruth 1:14-18).

Haven’t you suffered enough to still think you do not need God in your life? Now is the acceptable time to return to the Lord. “Seek Him while He may be found, call upon Him while He is near…return unto the Lord, and He will have mercy upon you; and to our God, for He will abundantly pardon” (Isaiah 55:6-7).

*** Written by Jacobs Adewale (Admin) ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

…building the body of Christ

Take The Pain

TEXT: 2 Corinthians 12:9-10

Several years ago a very graphic movie was made about the horrors of the Vietnam war. There was one scene in the movie where a foot soldier stepped on a land mine and half of his leg was blown away. Frantically he fell down and began to scream hysterically. So loud was his outburst of pain that he put the rest of his comrades in danger by giving their position away. To prevent this from happening the master sergeant jumped on top of him, cupped his hand over the fallen soldier's mouth, and said through gritted teeth, "Take the pain! Take the pain!"

Forgive me for using this gut-wrenching illustration to make my point but sometimes we all face brutal trials that for us are equally severe. Also, I am wondering if God sometimes asks us to do the same thing. "Take the pain!"

Why do I say that? The Bible does tell us to endure hardship like a good soldier in Christ. If we are enduring hardship then that means the hardship is not taken away. Right? Let's also not forget that He never did take away Paul's thorn in the flesh. When God told Paul "My grace is sufficient for you" was He telling him to "Take the pain"?

I believe He was and now we must ask the question "Why?" When you think about it, this is not a hard question to answer. What it all comes down to is that God insists on being number one in our lives. He wants us to seek Him more than anything else.

Here's what I'm saying. Sometimes our trials get so bad that we seek the answer to our problem more than we seek Him. We crave the solution so much that it becomes a god-like idol to us and God says we are to have no other gods before Him.

The enemy sends trials our way to distract us from God and from fulfilling the call on our lives. The devil is hoping we'll get so distracted by the trial that we'll spend more time seeking the solution to our problem than we do God. We are told in scripture to not be deceived by the wiles of the devil and this is one of his most cunning and successful strategies against the body of Christ.

So what should we do? Keep doing what we were doing before the trial began. Learn to seek God more than the solution to all our problems. Seek His face and not His hand. Trust me, when you do this you are showing the devil that he cannot and will not win this battle.

God will not leave you stranded and before you know it the victory will come rushing into your life like a mighty wave on the open sea. I say again, don't make the same mistake I've made several times over by making a god or an idol out of the solution to your problem. Seek God and for sure the victory will be yours. After all, it is He Who always leads us to triumph in Christ Jesus.

*** Written by Randall J. Brewer ***

THE TRUTH MEDIA

...building the body of Christ.