B2B Concert of Prayer – Refuge #706

Posted on August 29, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 706

“Refuge”

Psalm 18:1-2 (ESV)  I love you, O LORD, my strength. The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

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The International Zone in Baghdad was formerly known as the Green Zone. This heavily guarded area surrounded by razor wire, chain link fencing and blast-proof ‘T-walls’ was dubbed the ‘Ultimate Gated Community’. It was an area of refuge from the enemy and the battle that raged outside its gates.

While we may not live in a war zone, our daily lives are exposed to a physical and spiritual battleground with very real enemies who seek to do us harm. We too need places of refuge.

A refuge is a place of peace and safety. Do our homes provide a refuge from the evil that is in the world? Are our homes safe places for us and our children to return to each day? Far too often, our homes embody a microcosm of our corrupt society and fail to serve as a place of refuge for our families. Our defenses have been breached with the music, videos, TV, and other media that we allow ready access into our homes.

Too many homes are a battle ground with strife and full-vent given to rage and anger in family relationships between husband and wife and parent and child.

The solution begins within the heart of every believer. The solution is to seek first God’s kingdom and His righteousness. The solution is to continually walk in the presence of God. The solution begins with the head of the family, the husband/father. Men, you should lead the way. You are accountable for setting the example of Christ-likeness in your home.

Imagine a home that is a place of spiritual, emotional, and physical regeneration and equipping for fulfilling the Lord’s call and purpose. Imagine a home that is a dynamic place of defense and spiritual power. Such a home has been sanctified and set apart as a refuge of God. All who enter in will know the love, peace and presence of God’s Holy Spirit is there. This is a home whose walls are not allowed to be breached with the evil and sin of the world. This is a home characterized by Christ’s love, repentance, and forgiveness. It is a home where the fruit of the Spirit of God is visible and active.

While such a place of refuge may sound like a church, the fact is that the refuge of the Lord is within the heart of every believer who desires His presence and seeks to continually walk with God. It is the presence of God within the heart of believers that makes a home or church or place of work a refuge. Strength, peace, and power against enemies are found in the presence of the Lord, not in physical buildings and structures.

Are you tired and battle weary and in need of a place of refuge? The peace of God – His refuge is as close as you calling out to Him and seeking Him above all else that this world has to offer. Prayerfully practice His presence throughout your daily life. In all your tasks and duties, acknowledge His presence and watch Him transform your home, church and workplace as He touches the lives that touch yours in Jesus’ Name.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

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B2B Concert of Prayer – The Right Thing #705

Posted on August 22, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 705

“The Right Thing”

1 Cor 10:23a (ESV) “All things are lawful,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful,” but not all things build up.

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A CNN survey indicated that 68 percent of Americans nationwide are opposed to the proposed Islamic Center construction near the World Trade Center terrorist attack. New York Gov. David Paterson responded: “What that tells me is the wounds of 9/11 haven’t healed…there is no local, state or federal statute that prevents the construction of the facility.” The Islamic Center backers do indeed have the right to build their center near the site where the World Trade Center stood. But is it the right thing to do? God’s Word is clear in directing us how to proceed when “our rights” conflict with the “right thing” to do.

Let no one seek his own good, but the good of his neighbor. – 1 Cor 10:23b

It is clear that the right thing to do in this situation is to not build the Islamic Center so near the site where the terrorist attack was perpetrated in the name of Islam. While it is easy for us to apply this Scriptural truth to others, it is more difficult for us to take its mantle upon ourselves.

You may have the right to engage in activities that endanger your life such as some extreme sports, but as a parent of young children who depend upon you, is it the right thing to do?

You may have the right to drink alcoholic beverages, but in the presence of friends or family who are recovering alcoholics, is it the right thing to do?

You may have the right to be entertained by all kinds of movies, music and magazines, regardless of the language, violence and sexual content, but is it the right thing to do in the presence of impressionable children and adults, including yourself?

But take care that this right of yours does not somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. – 1 Cor 8:9

You may have the right to eat all the junk and unhealthy foods that you like. But is it the right thing to do with respect to the impact to your health and longevity as well as the lifestyle habit taught to others?

“All things are lawful for me,” but not all things are helpful. “All things are lawful for me,” but I will not be enslaved by anything. – 1 Cor 6:12

Morality has to do with the right and wrongness of human actions relative to how those actions impact yourself, others, or society as a whole. Note the reference to the impact to yourself in the definition. As Christians we have an obligation to care for our physical and spiritual being as the temple of the Holy Spirit. Although there may be no others impacted by the exercise of your right to do something, you cannot escape the fact that such actions affect you and your relationship with Jesus Christ.

We have the right to choose how to respond and how to act. The Bible and guidance by the Holy Spirit instruct us in the ‘right thing’. Choose wisely.

So whoever knows the right thing to do and fails to do it, for him it is sin. – James 4:17

Whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. – 1 Cor 10:31

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Talk is Cheap #704

Posted on August 17, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 704

“Talk is Cheap”

1 Cor 4:20 For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.

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A person asks “How are you?” and moves on their way without pausing to hear the response. Empty talk. Another person after hearing the woes of a friend says “I will pray for you” then moves on without ever lifting up a word of prayer on their friend’s behalf. More empty talk.

Politicians are known for their many promises which will not be kept and their circuitous response to direct questions. Our idiom ‘Talk is Cheap” refers to the many words spoken about doing something which is never intended to be accomplished. It is much easier to say you will do something than to actually do it.

Let us not love in word or talk but in deed and in truth. – 1 John 3:18

I recently engaged a customer in conversation in the store where I work. The topic of discussion somehow segued from the item he was seeking to purchase over to the economy. I discerned that he was a Christian by his many references as to how the Lord had provided for him and his family through difficult financial times. He clearly was not ashamed of his relationship with Jesus Christ. We discussed real estate and when I mentioned that I still had a house for sale in another state and that we were trusting God to provide a buyer, without hesitation he reached out and grabbed a hold of my hand, closed his eyes and began to pray aloud a simple, short prayer of intercession to God on my behalf for the sale of our house right there by the rack of two-by-fours.

And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. – Matt 6:7

This man may have been a stranger to me, but he is a brother in the Christ. His words were not many but contained the power of the Lord to encourage and to strengthen me.

The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working. – James 5:16

Is your talk cheap and empty or do your words contain the power of God? Do you mean what you say and say what you mean? Are your words in concert with your actions? Do you walk your talk?

It is easy to say “I am a Christian.” It is another matter altogether to live a life openly following Jesus Christ. The power of your words will be found in the measure of the love of Jesus that is poured through you to others. We say that we will die for our faith in Jesus. The question is whether we love Him enough to live for Him today.

I will show you my faith by my works… For as the body apart from the spirit is dead, so also faith apart from works is dead. – James 2:18-26

We cannot walk the talk in our own human strength and ability. The power for living a life that openly testifies of the power and love of Jesus Christ comes through His abiding presence in our hearts. Make it the priority of your life to seek first His kingdom and His righteousness and His presence will empower your talk to be seasoned with the truth, grace, and power of God in action.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Rock Collection#703

Posted on August 8, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 703

“Rock Collection”

1 Samuel 7:12 (ESV) Then Samuel took a stone and set it up between Mizpah and Shen and called its name Ebenezer, for he said, “Till now the LORD has helped us.”

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Rocks tell a story. Geologists are able to discern climatic and geological events from thousands of years ago by studying rocks. I have a fossilized rock encrusted with sea shells in my collection that I found in a dry creek bed at an elevation of 3000 feet above sea level. This rock tells the story of a time when the area we now know as Colorado was covered by the ocean.

Rocks help us remember the past. Perhaps this is why we see stones set up and being given names by the likes of Samuel, Jacob, and Joshua.

And those twelve stones, which they took out of the Jordan, Joshua set up at Gilgal. And he said to the people of Israel, “When your children ask their fathers in times to come, ‘What do these stones mean?’ then you shall let your children know, ‘Israel passed over this Jordan on dry ground.’ For the LORD your God dried up the waters of the Jordan for you until you passed over, as the LORD your God did to the Red Sea, which he dried up for us until we passed over, so that all the peoples of the earth may know that the hand of the LORD is mighty, that you may fear the LORD your God forever.” – Joshua 4:20

Stones of remembrance were important reminders to teach future generations of the faithfulness and power of God. But what of the modern day church? How do we preserve and pass on the truth of God’s faithfulness to future generations so that they too may be built up in the faith?

Our society erects stone monuments to commemorate victory in battles and to honor those who fought in them. What lasting ‘stones of remembrance’ do we pass on that celebrates the victories won by the power, grace and mercy of God in our life?

Sometimes it is we that need to be reminded of how God brought about past victories in our life. Our memory tends to be short when we are faced with a new and seemingly insurmountable crisis and our faith is shaken. Then we ‘go back to Bethel’ and are reminded of what God has spoken to us and done for us in the past and our faith is strengthened and renewed.

… Jacob set up a pillar in the place where he had spoken with him, a pillar of stone … So Jacob called the name of the place where God had spoken with him Bethel. – Genesis 35:14

We can create ‘stones of remembrance’ through the discipline of frequent journaling during our time of prayer and communion with God. Rereading past journals helps us see how far God has taken us and our faith is strengthened.

We can also share the stories of our journey with God with our children, grandchildren, Sunday schools, etc. Throughout life’s daily encounters there are teaching moment opportunities ordained by God whereby we can hand off a ‘stone of remembrance’ to someone in need of encouragement in the Lord.

Begin collecting faith building rocks that remind you of what God has done and is doing in your life. Equally important, as the Lord leads, share and give them away as ‘stones of remembrance’ to build others up in the faith.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Grace #702

Posted on August 1, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 702

“Grace”

TITUS 2:11 (ESV) For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people…

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The early church heard reports from Antioch of great numbers of people coming to salvation through Jesus Christ. This caused the church leaders in Jerusalem to send Barnabas to investigate. The bible tells us that when he arrived he saw or witnessed the grace of God.

Acts 11:23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad…

It is true that it is by the grace of God that we are saved. Grace is a free, unmerited gift of God.

Eph 2:8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

But what does grace look like? What did Barnabas witness when he arrived in Antioch? How does one see grace?

The answer to what grace looks like lies in discovering what grace does in us and through us. Grace trains us to renounce ungodliness and to allow the fruit of God’s Holy Spirit to manifest itself in our daily lives.

Titus 2:12 For the grace of God has appeared… training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age…

Grace empowers us to repent and turn away from the ungodly lusts of our flesh. Grace brings us under the headship of Jesus and away from under the headship of Adam – our old nature. God’s grace empowers us to say ‘No’ to what we know to be sin for us. God’s grace brings a hunger in the very core of our being for the abiding presence of God. Grace causes us to desire purity and to be holy as God is holy.

Grace not only strengthens us to overcome temptation, but also fear and worry. Grace brings peace in the midst of the storms of life. Our day to day reactions to life circumstances visibly testify to the grace of God.

Grace also empowers us to forgive and to overlook offenses.

Matt 6:14 For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

In April 1999 testimony was given at a ministry conference in Dallas by two mothers who found the grace to forgive the men who murdered their daughters. Why is it then that we find it so difficult to forgive others for minor hurts and offenses? Why do husbands and wives allow the little things said or done to get ‘under their skin’ and become a root of bitterness that robs their home of peace?

If Barnabas were to follow you around for a day, week, or month would he rejoice in seeing the grace of God manifested in your life? As Christians we have all received grace upon grace through Jesus Christ. As followers of Christ, God expects us to freely give grace to others.

Be an ambassador for Christ in this dark world in accordance with the grace given to you and allow His grace to be poured out to others. Make God’s grace evident in your daily walk and talk.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Touched by Jesus #701

Posted on July 26, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER
Pray Week 701

“Touched by Jesus”

Matt 25:34 (ESV) ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’

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We were overwhelmed in recent days with the task of moving our household to a new location in answer to the Lord’s call on our life. The Lord is faithful however and where He guides, He provides. We were no longer overwhelmed with the task at hand, but rather became overwhelmed by the love of Jesus Christ poured out to us through the Body of Christ – His church.

Jesus had amazingly familiar faces and some we had never before seen. He looked like the men, soaked with sweat who labored in the summer heat to load the trucks. He looked like the men and women who worked diligently to carefully pack household items. He looked like the people who brought food and provisions to minister to the workers and to us.

These people who were obedient to the call of God to meet the need of another became the hands and feet of Jesus. They became conduits of His immeasurable love – seeking only to be a blessing to the glory and praise of God and asking nothing in return.

When we pause to reflect on this tangible experience and expression of God’s love to us we cannot help but to reflect upon His ultimate expression of love through His Son, Jesus Christ.

“For God so loved the world,? that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. – John 3:16

There was nothing we did or could have done to earn the priceless help we received in making our relocation a success. There is nothing we can do to adequately repay the people who worked so hard to help us. Likewise you and I can never be good enough or do anything to earn forgiveness for our sin. Salvation and eternal life is a free gift of God’s love to us through faith in Jesus Christ.

Having accepted Jesus we become members of the Body of Christ. His love brought us into the family of believers and His love now flows through us as we are obedient to respond to the divine appointments God causes us to encounter in life.

We have been touched by Jesus Himself and through the work of His Holy Spirit through the body of believers. We thank our brothers and sisters in Christ and our hearts overflow with praise to the Father as we give Him the glory for His faithfulness and priceless love poured out to us.

Have you been touched by Jesus through the hands-on ministry of others? Are others touched by Jesus through their encounters with you? Will you be obedient to sacrificially respond with His love as He directs? Are you a faithful participant in your local church community?

…you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house – 1 Peter 2:5

Every living stone is uniquely gifted and shaped to contribute to the integrity of the local church body of believers. Allow God to pour His love to you and through you to others by being a faithful and active member of your local church community. Be touched by Jesus and be His touch to those in need.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Missed Appointments #700

Posted on July 18, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 700

“Missed Appointments”

Luke 10:29 (ESV) …he … said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. And the next day he took out two denarii? and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

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I like a full life. I like getting up early in the morning eagerly anticipating the challenges and opportunities of a new day and I like going to bed at night with a feeling of having accomplished many worthwhile things that day.

My life can be too full. You know your life is too full when you feel overwhelmed in the morning by the numerous challenges that are ahead of you. You know it is too full when you cannot sleep at night because your mind will not stop processing what happened that day and what might happen the next day. You know your life is too full when you begin to miss appointments. I am not referring to routine appointments such as doctors, dentists, and haircuts. The appointments I am referring to here are the ‘divine appointments’ ordained of God.

Throughout our daily lives, God has orchestrated divine appointments – encounters with strangers, friends, family, and neighbors. In each of these encounters is encapsulated an opportunity to share the love of Christ. It can be as simple as a warm smile and a greeting. It can have the depth of stopping and quietly sharing their burden while listening to them pour out their heart in crying out to God in their distress.

Can we sacrifice our personal agendas in order to help meet the needs of another like the example of the Samaritan in the parable taught by Jesus? The Levite and the priest in Jesus’ parable were not bad men. It is not that they were without compassion. Their problem was that they were bound up in their own agendas so tightly that they could not be bothered to deal with the unexpected encounter with the injured man. In a modern day example of this parable a recent news video showed numerous people look and walk past a man seriously injured in a mugging on a busy street.

Can our lives be too full – even with good things? How free and flexible are you willing and able to be to respond to the divine appointments and divine encounters engineered by God? The greatest commandment is to love God with our entire being and to let His love pour through us in loving our fellow-man. Thank God for a full life. Pray and strive for a free and flexible life agenda. Pray for a discerning and willing heart to respond to His divine appointments for you. Ask God to show you how to free yourself to take the time to care … to Love and minister to others in Jesus’ power and strength, and to do it all for His glory.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Runaway Bride #699

Posted on July 11, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 699

“Runaway Bride”

2 Chr 7:14 (ESV) if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.
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America is broken. It is like a heavy steel structure with a foundation of clay that is crumbling. It is very much like the idol that Nebuchadnezzar dreamt about and Daniel interpreted:

The head of this image was of fine gold, its chest and arms of silver, its middle and thighs of bronze, its legs of iron, its feet partly of iron and partly of clay. – Dan 2:32,33

America is broken because it has turned its back on the one, true God and His Son, Jesus Christ.
America is broken because it is steadily turning its back on its Judeo-Christian citizens and on the people and nation of Israel, God’s chosen people.

Blessed are those who bless you, and cursed are those who curse you. – Num 24:9

America is broken because the Bride of Christ, His church in America has lost its first love. Christ’s Bride has been unfaithful and has committed adultery with watered down religion that embraces sin and appeals to the desires of the flesh. There are many indicators from a variety of surveys that show church errant behavior to be indistinguishable from that of the unbelieving world. God’s Word says that all is not lost IF:

My People: This does not refer to the diverse general population of America from atheist to agnostic with all other religions and cults in between. ‘My People’ refers to the Bride of Christ, not only His chosen Jewish people but also the Gentiles grafted into the vine.

As indeed he says in Hosea, “Those who were not my people I will call ‘my people,’ and her who was not beloved I will call ‘beloved.’ ” – Romans 9:25

Called by My Name: God calls us to Him. He calls us to accept His free gift of salvation through believing in Jesus Christ. He calls us to follow Him and fulfill His purpose in this world.

Humble Themselves: To humble ourselves means to come under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. This is a choice we make to deny our fleshly appetites when they interfere with our relationship to God. In humbling ourselves we choose His kingdom and His righteousness first over all else.

Pray and Seek: This is not a ‘now I lay me down to sleep’ rote prayer. This is deep calling to deep. This is intercessory prayer for our land and fellow citizens. This is actively and earnestly seeking the abiding presence of God as the most precious thing to have in this life.

Turn from Wicked Ways: In a word: Repentance. The church needs to reject sin and return to the full gospel of the Word of God. It begins with me and you.

…then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land: America needs God. America needs the church called of God to be salt and light. America needs those who proclaim to be Christian to be set apart, sanctified and different in behavior and attitude than those who are unbelievers. How else can the unsaved be drawn to Christ unless there is a difference, something better to be had in Jesus than what is available in the world?

Rise up, Church and demonstrate that difference. Return to your first love, Jesus Christ.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Feeling Cheated #698

Posted on July 4, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 698

“Feeling Cheated”

Psalm 73:1-28 (ESV) … my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant … All in vain have I kept my heart clean and washed my hands in innocence …
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Have you ever felt cheated by people and perhaps by life in general? Perhaps you were laid off within a few months of qualifying for full retirement after giving decades of dependable service to a company. Often, we go through various trials and difficult circumstances and it feels like we have been ‘kicked to the curb’ of life as we watch the worldly people go about seemingly enjoying all the pleasures that this world has to offer. Asaph, the psalmist of our reference scripture describes his view from the curb as follows:

…I saw the prosperity of the wicked. For they have no pangs until death; their bodies are fat and sleek. They are not in trouble as others are; they are not stricken like the rest of mankind… Behold, these are the wicked; always at ease, they increase in riches. – Psalm 73:3-12

How can a Christian, a born-again believer and follower of Jesus Christ, keep from feeling cheated and becoming bitter in the midst of the pressure of tribulation and difficulties in this world? The answer lies in the sanctuary of God.

But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task, until I went into the sanctuary of God; then I discerned their end… – Psalm 73:16-17

In Asaph’s day the sanctuary was a separate, physical place of prayer where God’s presence was. For Christian’s today, through Jesus’ death and resurrection, the presence of God resides within us. We only have to look to Jesus to ‘enter into the sanctuary of God’.

…let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our
faith.. – Heb 12:1-2

It is when we take our eyes off of Jesus that we lose our eternal perspective. We grieve the Holy Spirit when we pine for what this world has to offer and forget that we are but sojourners in a foreign land with our citizenship established in heaven.

When my soul was embittered, when I was pricked in heart, I was brutish and ignorant; I was like a beast toward you. – Psalm 73:21-22

The root word for ’embittered’ carries with it the meaning of being leavened and made sour. Embitterment spreads like yeast and affects the whole person and those around you. By maintaining our focus on Jesus and serving Him in every context of our lives we can avoid feeling cheated and experience His joy and peace as God develops our character and we learn contentment.

Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds…- James 1:2-4
I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. – Phil 4:11

Be aware of the sanctuary principle that God’s presence is continually with you and your focus and perspective will remain on Jesus. Then you can avoid bitterness and say as the Psalmist did:

But for me it is good to be near God; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge…. – Psalm 73:28

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God.

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B2B Concert of Prayer – Certainty #697

Posted on June 27, 2010 by ron021950

CONCERT OF PRAYER

Pray Week 697

“Certainty”

John 16:33 (ESV) I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.”
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A business associate once commented that ‘God does not call ahead for approval’. Imagine a telephone call from God: ‘Hello, Ron. God here. The reason I am calling is to run something by you to get your approval first before I proceed. You see, I plan to allow some trials and trouble to enter your life that will seem pretty difficult for you, but trust me, I will be with you the whole time and it will be for your good.’ Given the option, many of us would opt out of tribulation. However, of this we can be certain: that God’s plans are the best for us and that His grace is sufficient for the day.

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for wholeness and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. – Jeremiah 29:11

The word translated ‘tribulation’ in our reference Scripture is also translated as ‘trouble’ and has the meaning of being squeezed under pressure. It should come as no surprise to us that in this world we will have trouble. God’s Word tells us plainly to expect it. The trend in some circles to preach and teach only prosperity doctrine does the church a disservice. It is only in the undiluted full gospel of God’s Word that truth is found. The pressures of this life will be experienced by believers as well as non-believers. We can be certain of it.

The difference lies in our response to the pressure and tribulation. We can become better or we can become bitter. The recent economic crisis and global disasters such as the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico are bringing enormous pressures upon people, Christian and non-Christian alike. Some people whose hope is wrapped up in this world have taken their lives in utter despair. Others have become bitter and cynical and are angry enough to turn way from God at a time when they need to be running to Him.

What response is manifested when you are squeezed under pressure? Do we see the ugly side of your character or do we see the character of Jesus Christ? When squeezed do you lash out at others with a hair-trigger temper or do you exhibit the peace that surpasses all understanding? When squeezed do you respond with despair and deep depression seeking to end or numb the pain or do you press in to get a grip on God for His grace, peace, strength and hope?

Does your character exhibit the certainty of knowledge that all things work together for good for those who love God? Can you praise Him for the squeezing pressure that God allows to shape your character and make you better? Can you trust the certainty of His Word that nothing can separate you from His love?

For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord. – Romans 8:38

God comforts us in our times of tribulation so that we may be able to comfort others in similar situations. (2 Cor 1:4) If we become bitter we can be of no comfort to others. However, with the proper spiritual mindset, tribulations can make us better and prepare us for ministry to others in His grace and power. Of this we can be certain.

Close in prayer, thanksgiving & rededication of your work to the glory of God

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