IS GOD HINDERED BY OUR CIRCUMSTANCES?

It’s a great question…is God hindered by our circumstances? In truth, it is only the belief that He is hindered, that hinders us. To think that a circumstance is greater than God is a misunderstanding of His greatness. It is our own unbelief and close minded thoughts that keep us from moving beyond our hindrances.

For instance, was God unable to use Paul when he was in jail? No, he witnessed to prisoners, guards, and wrote the incredible letters that make up so much of the new testament. In modern days….was Joni Earekson Tada hindered by being a quadriplegic? No! She has reached more people than you and I could reach in a lifetime. Why? Because she chose to believe that God was greater than her disability. Was God hindered while Joseph was in slavery? No! He simply kept right on preparing his character and knowledge that readied him to be a great leader in the coming years.

God can take the very thing that we consider bad or tragic and turn it into the greatest blessing ever. If we let Him do it! I remember hearing about the Judd sisters. One became a successful actress and the other a successful country singer. When talking about their childhood, they were raised by a single mom and were financially struggling. They had a house out in the country and no where to go while their mom was at work. Ashley read books and Wynonna played guitar and wrote songs. What seemed like a curse at the time, was the perfect set-up to prepare them for their future. If they had had lots of money and lived in the city, would either one of them have developed their artistic side? Probably not!

Now we are not all destined to be famous, but we, as Christians, are destined to become like Jesus Christ. To have His character developed in us. It doesn’t always come easy, but rest assured that God is always at work in you, whether you see it or not. Sometimes we need to embrace who He wants us to be. I have seen some Christians so self-willed and hell bent on getting their own way and having “their” dreams fulfilled, that they totally miss God and waste countless years trying to get what they want.

So I encourage you….embrace where you are and begin to look for God in the midst of it all. Our God is not hindered by our circumstances…choose to open your eyes and seek Him right where you are. You will be the one that finds treasure!

Have a great day!

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

Lord, you give us your Words of wisdom to keep us safe, thank you for loving us this way, and help us to hunger after your ways…..

Proverbs 2:1-12 “My son, if you receive my words,
And treasure my commands within you,
So that you incline your ear to wisdom,
And apply your heart to understanding;
Yes, if you cry out for discernment,
And lift up your voice for understanding,
If you seek her as silver,
And search for her as for hidden treasures;
Then you will understand the fear of the Lord,
And find the knowledge of God.
For the Lord gives wisdom;
From His mouth come knowledge and understanding;
He stores up sound wisdom for the upright;
He is a shield to those who walk uprightly;
He guards the paths of justice,
And preserves the way of His saints.
Then you will understand righteousness and justice,
Equity and every good path.
When wisdom enters your heart,
And knowledge is pleasant to your soul,
Discretion will preserve you;
Understanding will keep you,
To deliver you from the way of evil…”

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY

 I truly love the following scripture!  I love a summary that breaks it down into simple terms. This is the end of Ecclesiastes written by Solomon, son of King David.

Ecclesiastes 12:13, 14  “Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter:

Fear God and keep His commandments,
 For this is man’s all. For God will bring every work into judgment, 
Including every secret thing,
Whether good or evil.”

In life, we cannot control our circumstances or the world or people around us, but this makes it simple. We must look after our own hearts. Fear God and keep His commandments.

Have a great day!

 

A THOUGHT FOR THE DAY…..1 John 3:17

 Heads up fellow believers, this economy has brought about a whole new crop of those struggling to make it financially. I have heard many say their hours have been reduced to part time work because the employers don’t want to pay for healthcare.

Now, truthfully, we can’t help everyone or give to every cause, but we can be sensitive to who God may bring across our paths to help. Hear John’s excellent words:

1 John 3:17-19 “ But whoever has this world’s goods, and sees his brother in need, and shuts up his heart from him, how does the love of God abide in him? My little children, let us not love in word or in tongue, but in deed and in truth.  And by this we know that we are of the truth, and shall assure our hearts before Him.”

Lord, open our eyes to see who it is that God wants us to help, that we may be children of our Father in heaven. Amen

Jewels From Proverbs 19

Falling in love with Proverbs again…….#lovinGodswisdom!   

Proverbs 19:8 “He who gets wisdom loves his own soul;
He who keeps understanding will find good.”

19:17 “He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord,
And He will pay back what he has given.”

19:20 “Listen to counsel and receive instruction,
That you may be wise in your latter days.”

19:22 “What is desired in a man is kindness,
And a poor man is better than a liar.”

Have a Great Day!!  😉

INCORRUPTIBLE ,UNDEFILED, THAT DOES NOT FADE AWAY

As I was reading 1 Peter this morning, these words; incorruptible, undefiled, and does not fade away, jumped out at me and really nourished my soul.

So many things in this life are corruptible….people, governments, teachings, systems….so many things are subject to corruption. So much today is defiled and so many good principles are fading away. It gave me hope and a reminder that there is something out there waiting for you and I that is NOT subject to corruption and the like. I love the word “reserved” for us used in this scripture. Here are Peter’s words…

1 Peter 1:3b-5 “…His abundant mercy has begotten us again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that does not fade away, reserved in heaven for you,  who are kept by the power of God through faith for salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.”

So if you are a child of God and things fall apart around you…take heart…there is reserved for you in heaven an inheritance that is untouchable and will never fade away! Rejoice!

WHISPER’S OF ETERNITY

There is no rushing through the day
No need to hurry now
It’s time to settle down and think
To contemplate the how

So curious I have been of You
The wonders of the earth
Want to sit and ponder all
Creation has such worth

You must have sat and thought awhile
Each thing you did create
The wonder of each color
LordYour vision is so great

We pass so quickly by each day
A masterpiece of art
A flower, bug, or lady love
So abundant, where to start

When you created cuddle fish
How long did you sit and think?
Each system that would make it work
It’s food, it’s life, it’s drink

How blind are we to rush through time
Never slowing down
To enter into eternal things
And see the Master’s crown

The splendor of the heart of God
His mind, His thoughts, His ways
I’m looking forward to when it stops
And all will look Your way

No longer veiled in secrets
Your beauty to behold
Eternity’s an awesome place
No more of time’s stronghold

But for now Lord help me out
As I sit quietly at Your feet
To enter that eternal place
Where heaven and earth do meet

copyright 2009 Jean Chamblee

It’s Not About Us

While we enjoy the goodness and awesomeness of becoming one with our Savior when we accept Him as Lord,  we often stop short of our purpose by becoming focused on ourselves.  In the beginning, that is appropriate as we develop our relationship with Jesus, but as we grow older our story must expand.  Like natural children, they perceive themselves as the center of the universe until they begin to grow up.  It is the same in spiritual growth. Paul says in Hebrews 5:13  “For everyone who partakes only of milk is unskilled in the word of righteousness, for he is a babe.”  If all we seek is lightweight encouraging words, we will miss the mark of becoming what we are destined to be……a witness for others to come to know Christ. 

Psalm 67:1,2 “God be merciful to us and bless us,

And cause His face to shine upon us, 

THAT YOUR WAY may be known on earth,
YOUR SALVATION among all nations.”

God help us to be billboards for your existence, proof of your goodness, expressions of your love, and acknowledgements of your righteous judgements and truth. Shine Your light on us so that we can point to You!

A Thought For The Day

Did you know that the wisest man on earth in his time ended up going off and forsaking the Lord? The great Solomon of Proverbs ended up worshipping idols? King David’s son? How could this be?

1 Kings 11:6  “Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.”

This must be a lesson to us. We all have our “favorite” preachers, but who is to say that they might not “stray” from the truth of the Bible or are immune from being deceived? If we do not know the Word of God for ourselves we may very well be deceived at some point! This time now, according to Jesus in Matthew 24, is one of the greatest times of deception known to man. Deception was a great concern of Jesus when He was asked about the last days.

We know there will be a one world religion…..a deceptive false religion led by the false prophet. It will be so deceptive that even some of the elect will fall for it (Matthew 24:24)……but how will it come to be? And what will it look like? I think if we study the scriptures, we will know it when we see it….

Question: “What will be the end times one world religion?”

Answer: The one world religion described in Revelation 17:1-18 as “the great harlot” will be part of the end times scenario. The term “harlot” is used throughout the Old Testament as a metaphor for false religion. The actual identity and makeup of the religion has been debated for centuries and has resulted in a number of different views among Bible commentators and theologians. There are convincing arguments for the one world religion being Catholicism, Islam, the new age movement, or some form of religion not even invented yet, and an internet search will produce many more possibilities and theories. There is no doubt that some sort of one world religion under the false prophet will be a part of the end times, perhaps made up of a number of different religions, sects and isms that are around today.

Revelation 17:1-18 gives us several characteristics of the one world religion. The false religion will dominate all the “peoples and multitudes and nations and tongues” of the earth (Revelation 1b, 15), meaning that it will have universal authority, no doubt given by the Antichrist who rules the world at that time. Verses 2-3 describe the harlot as committing adultery with the “kings of the earth” referring to the false religion’s influence among the world’s rulers and influential people. The reference to being drunk with the wine of her adulteries may refer to those who are drunk with the power they receive from worshiping the false god of the false religion. Satan frequently ensnares those whose lust for power drives them away from the worship of the true and living God. The alliances forged by the false religion will unite church and state as never before.

Verse 6 describes the harlot as being “drunk with the blood of the saints” and the blood of those who testify of Jesus. Whether they will be martyred at the hand of the Antichrist or by being systematically starved, believers who are on the earth during the tribulation will experience the wrath of the harlot and her power source, the Antichrist. Those who oppose the worldwide religion will be killed and those who refuse to worship the Antichrist by accepting his mark will be unable to buy and sell, thereby making survival very difficult (Revelation 13:16-17).

Eventually, the harlot will lose favor with the Antichrist who will want to receive the world’s worship for himself. He will not share the adoration of the world with the prophets and priests of the false religion, no matter how obsequious or fawning they may be. Once the Antichrist gains the world’s amazed attention by his miraculous return from the dead (Revelation 13:3, 12, 14), he will turn on the false religious system and destroy it, establishing himself as God. The deception, Jesus tells us, will be so great that, if it were possible, even the elect would fall for it (Matthew 24:24).

(commentary by Jean, question answer resource on one world religion taken from gotquestions.org)