Category Archives: Challenges & Difficulty

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

September 7, 2014

Posted under

Attitudes & Behavior, Challenges & Difficulty, Joy, Peace of God

DON’T WORRY; BE HAPPY!

Always be full of joy in the Lord. I say it again – rejoice! … Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done. Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus. [Philippians 4:4,6-7 (NLT)]

“Rejoice!” Paul wrote to the church at Philippi. He wrote these joyful words while awaiting trial in a Roman prison. Rather than feeling defeated during his captivity, Paul used his imprisonment as an opportunity to continue to preach the gospel and spread the joy of God’s word. Instead of being depressed by his situation, he knew how to be satisfied regardless of his situation. In fact, Paul thanked God for his difficult circumstances.

We don’t need to be in prison to be depressed, angry or resentful. There are many times in our lives when things go terribly wrong: a child becomes addicted, a parent suffers a debilitating disease, a friend gets cancer, a job is lost, a business goes bankrupt, the stock market crashes, a marriage fails, or a lawsuit is filed. We need to learn from Paul to “always be full of joy in the Lord” regardless of our circumstances.

Where the soul is full of peace and joy, outward surrounding and circumstances are of comparatively little account. [Hannah Whitall Smith]

Summing it all up, friends, I’d say you’ll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious – the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse. [Philippians 4:8 (MSG)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

August 30, 2014

Posted under

Bible Stories, Challenges & Difficulty, Fear & Doubt, Trusting God

TAKE THE PLUNGE!

Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why are you crying out to me? Tell the people to get moving! Pick up your staff and raise your hand over the sea. Divide the water so the Israelites can walk through the middle of the sea on dry ground. [Exodus 14:15-16 (NLT)]

With Pharaoh’s army fast approaching, the Israelites were trapped between the mountains and the sea. They immediately panicked and blamed Moses for their predicament. He was no longer regarded as the man who freed them from years of suffering slavery; he was now the fool who’d led them to certain death in the wilderness. Looking back at the soldiers, the Israelites refused to go forward. Moses assured them that the Lord would fight for them. “Stand still,” he said, “The Lord will rescue you.” The Lord, however, had other plans. He told Moses to stop praying and to get moving; they could walk through the sea on dry land!

Have you ever felt like the Israelites, like you’re between a “rock and a hard place” with no place to go? When that happens, we usually do the same thing the Israelites did; panic, find someone to blame, lose heart and want to quit. Eventually, we may pray but then we hesitate to take action. It’s easier to do nothing than to take a plunge into the unknown. Sometimes, God will fight our battles for us but, other times, he wants us to get moving and to trust that He will make a path for us.

Never give up; if God parted the waters for the Israelites, he can part them for us. We, however, will still have to do the walking!

Then Moses raised his hand over the sea, and the Lord opened up a path through the water with a strong east wind. The wind blew all that night, turning the seabed into dry land. So the people of Israel walked through the middle of the sea on dry ground, with walls of water on each side! [Exodus 14:21-22 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 27, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Faith & Hope, God's Plan, Trusting God

FROM BAD TO WORSE

I hate my life, so I will complain without holding back; I will speak because I am so unhappy. [Job 10:1 (NCV)]

When Job’s life became a chronicle of disasters, he honestly expressed his anger to God. Most likely, we all have felt like Job at one time or another. We can barely get out of bed to face another day where things just seem to go from bad to worse through no fault of our own. Unlike Job, we may not have lost family, health and wealth in one fell swoop and we may not have expressed our feelings so vividly, but we’ve all endured times of despair and misery. Although Job wrongly believed that his problems were a result of God’s anger at him, the one thing he never did was turn from God in his misery. In spite of wondering where God was in all of his wretchedness, Job refused to curse God in his despair.

Lord, it’s easy to believe in a loving and merciful God when our lives are filled with your blessings; it’s much harder when life goes wrong. Keep us strong in our faith so that we never let outward circumstances alienate us from you. Help us accept your plan for our lives, no matter what it may be. The outer circumstances of our lives won’t necessarily change with our acceptance, but the inner ones surely will.

His wife said to him, “Are you still trying to maintain your integrity? Curse God and die.” But Job replied, “You talk like a foolish woman. Should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?” So in all this, Job said nothing wrong. [Job 2:9-10 (NLT)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 15, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, God's Promises, Prayer

JEHOVAH JIREH – GOD PROVIDES

And Abraham calleth the name of that place `Jehovah-Jireh,’ because it is said this day in the mount, `Jehovah doth provide.’ [Genesis 22:14 (YLT)]

Abraham gave that place the name “The Lord will give us what we need.” And it is said to this day, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be given.” [Genesis 22:14 (NLV)]

Since we were going away for the weekend, I carefully copied all of my devotion material (drafts, unposted drafts, meditation ideas, favorite verses, photos, etc.) onto a flash drive so I could work on my laptop. As I unpacked the laptop later that evening, the flash drive was missing. It was still resting comfortably in the slot of my PC at home! More upsetting to me was that, as I’d grabbed my briefcase on the way out, a voice in my head said, “Do you want to check for the flash drive?” Pride responded, “No need; I know what I’m doing!”

I’d counted on catching up on some writing, while enjoying the view and the birds, as I worked on a porch overlooking the peaceful lake. Everything I thought I needed, however, was in my office back home, so I did what comes naturally: I cried. Then, remembering that less than a month ago, I’d posted a prayer asking God for the wisdom to find a way around life’s obstacles, I prayed.

The following morning, God provided all I needed for a full day’s work. That day’s Bible reading led me to write three new meditations. If I count this meditation, my “disaster” led to four new messages! Not bad for a weekend’s work.

Yes, God will provide. He is our Jehovah-Jireh. We, however, have to be willing to stop our complaints (and tears) long enough not only to ask, but also to see His provision!

He gives us everything we need for life and for holy living. He gives it through His great power. [2 Peter 1:3a (NLV)]

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

July 8, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Family, Friends & Fellowship

SHARPENING

As iron sharpens iron, so a friend sharpens a friend. [Proverbs 27:17 (NLT)]

God sends challenging tasks into our lives when we least expect them. Fortunately, He often sends special people into our lives, as well, whose job is to encourage (and push us) to meet those challenges. In 2012, our Florida church had a fund raising event, “Art from the Heart.” Although I had never shared my photography with anyone outside of family, I felt compelled to do two 16 x 20 photos and donate them. The following year, I donated what I called “baskets of blessings” with a variety of items created from my photos. Because of those donations, our church photographer, Arlene, wanted to meet me. She asked me to take photos for our church website. This request took me out of my comfort zone; I only took pictures of flowers, birds and my grands, not real people! Arlene, however, wouldn’t let me wiggle my way out of the challenge. Thanks to her patience and encouragement, I actually began enjoying the opportunity to do something for a church I attend only a few months a year. At the end of the season, I gave her a photo/prayer book I’d written, asked if she would like my daily messages, and started sending her my morning emails.

Last fall, when I returned to Florida, this wonderful woman kept encouraging me to have a website for my messages. I know enough about computers to send emails and edit photos, but this whole web presence thing seemed beyond my ability and I balked. Good friends, however, sharpen one another as iron sharpens iron, and Arlene persisted. Today, because of her determination and hard work, fantastic computer skills, and patience in teaching me, we are pleased to welcome you to Devotions of the Heart.

Thank you (and a big hug) to Arlene, who made this possible. Thank you to my email family, many of whom I have never met, for encouraging me. Thank you, God, for sending me both challenges and friends to encourage and sharpen me. I am blessed.

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. [Hebrews 10:24 (NLT)]

 

Standard

Posted by

Posted on

June 29, 2014

Posted under

Challenges & Difficulty, Sharing Our Faith

TRIALS OF FAITH

If you’re abused because of Christ, count yourself fortunate. It’s the Spirit of God and his glory in you that brought you to the notice of others. If they’re on you because you broke the law or disturbed the peace, that’s a different matter. But if it’s because you’re a Christian, don’t give it a second thought. Be proud of the distinguished status reflected in that name! [1 Peter 4:14-16 (MSG)]

Meriam Ibrahim is a Sudanese Christian woman who has been in the news recently. Earlier in the year, this mother of two received a sentence of 100 lashes to be followed by death because she married a Christian man in 2011 and converted to Christianity. She could have avoided the death sentence by renouncing Christ, but she wouldn’t. As she languished in jail, her second child was born. Amid massive international outcry, a Sudanese court finally acquitted her and she was recently released from prison. When she and her family tried to exit the country, however, they were detained, supposedly because of forged travel documents. They are now at the US Embassy where diplomats are trying to arrange for their departure.

Why is a nation so afraid of this one woman, her two small children, and her husband, a man who is confined to a wheelchair because of muscular dystrophy? They’re not terrorists; they’re simply Christians who bring a message of hope, love and salvation. It’s difficult to understand how this message can be so threatening to people.

I can’t help but wonder what I would do in Meriam’s place. Would I renounce my faith to save my life? Living in the safety of the US, I doubt I will ever have to make that choice. Unfortunately, as evidenced in the news, there are still Christians today who do have to make choices like that.

Lord, we remember those who suffer even today for their belief in Christ. Give them courage and strength. Please strengthen and refine our faith as well.

Friends, when life gets really difficult, don’t jump to the conclusion that God isn’t on the job. Instead, be glad that you are in the very thick of what Christ experienced. This is a spiritual refining process, with glory just around the corner. [1 Peter 4:12-13 (MSG)]