ALLOWING GOD TO CARE FOR YOU

In times of tranquility and prosperity, we sometimes face the constant danger of turning away from God to pursue our own goals and desires. In those good times we must diligently guard our hearts by remembering that our peace and prosperity always gifts from Him.


When we are in the midst of trouble and pain, however, we more easily acknowledge our helplessness and dependence on God. But we may also ask hard questions about is love and power. In those times we may be tempted to doubt God or even abandon the faith. We must remember that no crisis is beyond God’s control [1Co 10:13] and that nothing can separate us from His love [Rom 8:35].

No one enjoys pain. We would all prefer that our lives be carefree with no hardships. When we go through tough times we experience a variety of emotions, but joy usually isn’t one of them. When trials come we become frustrated that things aren’t going the way we would like. We get angry at others… at God… or at ourselves. We may feel profound sadness. Often, when we are in the middle of a difficult situation, we feel totally helpless, even fearful.

According to the Gospel of James, we should “consider it pure joy” when we go through adversity. He urges us to see the positive, even in distressing times.

James 1:2-3: “My brothers, count it all joy when you fall into different kinds of temptations, knowing that the trying of your faith works patience.”

What could be good about trials? James says that when your faith is tested, you learn to rely on God. If you never experience difficulties, you won’t learn to trust God to the same degree as when you realize how much you need Him.

Tough times build endurance. They’re like exercise; it can bring discomfort, but it strengthens your body. Likewise, misfortune can be painful, but it can make you a stronger Christian. When God carries you through a dark period, you experience Him in a new dimension. You gain a fresh understanding of how much he loves you. Your faith is stronger, and you’re more prepared to trust Him next time. It isn’t that you enjoy suffering, but you can find joy in the knowledge that even your darkest moments God can bring about good things in your life and make you spiritually strong.

If things look gloomy for you right now, take heart. Don’t become bitter. Allow God this opportunity to care for you. Let Him show you the positive side. Let Him strengthen you. He alone can give you joy --- joy that no one or no circumstance can take away from you.

In good times or bad, it is always right to keep your eyes on God and trust in His wisdom. Be assured that no situation taxes His sovereign power.

WHAT DOES GOD WANT YOU TO DO?

If you watch people who are fulfilling God's purpose in their life, you will notice that their motivation is high. They have amazing endurance to overcome obstacles. They are always growing and learning. There's real joy in what they do.

It amazes other people how faithful Christians breeze through life --- in good time, and in bad times. Having a strong faith in God is a key that really lifts them up in life. And having defined their life's purpose in tune with God is the one thing that keeps them going.

There are actually many people who go through life without discovering God's purpose for their life. Life just goes on and on without you knowing it. And there's no despair or sadness in not realizing it at all. Yet, to miss out on your life's purpose is to miss out on why God created you.

Whether your job is in a church or in a business enterprise, we were all created with a purpose. Along with that purpose, should we discover it, are gifts from God that would guide us in living the life He planned for us. Yes, we were gifted and called by God. If only people could realize this they would enjoy a more blessed life and take their assignments from God seriously!

Here are some questions to help you find your life's assignment:

What are the "raw materials" available? God has given you a certain temperament and talents, and you have to honor your raw material.

What unlocks your compassion? It's quite amazing to realize that sometimes the problem that infuriates you most is the problem you were born to solve.

Why do I do this? There's a big difference between doing something because you believe God has called you to do it, versus doing what your parents, your friends or your ego wants you to do.

What are my limitations? Knowing what you're called to do often starts with discovering what you're not called to do. When you can accept your limitations, you're on the road to understanding your life's assignment. So let's be clear: you have an assignment. It has to do with what God hard-wired into you. You must seek it with an open mind. When people pretend to be something they're not, they live with a chronic sense of inadequacy and set themselves up for a lifetime of frustration. Don't do that. Be ruthlessly open to the truth about yourself. Your life's assignment is something you discover, not something you choose.

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GOD'S PLAN FOR YOUR LIFE

''For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord.
Plans to prosper you and not to harm you,
plans to give you hope and a future.''
Jeremiah 29:11

No one knows you like God does. He’s known about you since before time began. He was present at your birth, and he’s been intimately acquainted with every detail of your life right up until now. He’s aware of your weaknesses as well as your strengths. He knows your fears and your joys. He knows how to make your life fulfilling and how to make it really count for something. That’s why he has plans for you. He didn’t create you, then abandon you to figure out life as you go along. He loves you far too much for that!

God has a perfect plan for your life. It’s tailored just for you. It matches the things He’s building into your character right now. The plan he has for you is not the same as His plans for your friends. All of your experiences, both good and bad, fits into His plans. The promises He has made to you and the things He has taught you are part of His design for your life.

How tragic to live your life and accomplish all your own goals, yet never discovering what could have been if you had sought God’s direction! Be sure to spend time consulting the Master in your decisions. He will show you options you never considered. You will have no regrets when you allow God to direct your steps, for His path leads to abundant life (John 10:10)

For whom He foreknew, He also predestined

to be conformed to the image of His Son,
that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called;
whom He called, these He also justified;
and whom He justified, these He also glorified.
Romans 8:29-30

Remember, your life is a part of God’s grand design. God had a plan for your life since before time began. Your life, therefore, has a destiny. Christ is the model upon which the Father is developing your life. You are meant to have a relationship with the Father that is as intimate as the relationship between Jesus and the Father (John 17:21). Every event He allows into your life is designed to make you more like Christ.

God’s call came when He invited you to join Him in the process! His call was extremely personal, designed specifically for your response. How wonderful to realize that at a particular moment in history, almighty God spoke personally to you and invited you to become His child!


What could be possibly stopping men from realizing their destiny with God? Because of sin, people could never live blamelessly. But God forgave your sin and justified you, declaring you righteous. All the spiritual debt you carried with Him was forgiven, and you were freed to enjoy God and to serve Him for the rest of eternity. In Biblical times, the glory of God’s people was His presence. You, too, are glorified because the fullness of God now dwells within you, and you will one day be with Him (Col. 1:27; 2:9). He invites you to join Him in working out His will in your life—conforming you to His image (Phil. 2:12).

God has a glorious design for you. Your task in life is discover what He has purposed in your life.
Do not let it pass. Find out what God has destined you to be.

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IMPRESSING GOD WITH WHAT WE DO

At times we feel as if we could impress God with all we are trying to do for Him and His church. Yet God has yet to be impressed with even the most grandiose human aspirations. (Psalms 8:3-4). We can never set a goal so big or attempt a task so significant that God does not have something far greater than He Could do in and through your life. Saul of Tarsus worked harder than anyone else to impress God with his efforts, only to discover that his greatest achievements were but rubbish compared to God's will for his life. (Phil 3:7-8). Can we really impress God with what we do? Our problem is that we become too easily enamored with our own plans. If we are attempting to do noble or difficult things, we assume that we must be experiencing the maximum potential for our lives and that God must, therefore, be pleased with us. Think about what Apostle Paul said in Ephesians 3:20: "Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us." Until we have heard from God, we cannot even imagine all that our lives could become or all that God could accomplish through us. We need to remind ourselves that the Father sees the "big picture," that His power far exceeds our limited imagination. We must set aside our own agenda, however lofty. We must never become satisfied with our own dreams, for they are finite at best. When we follow God's direction we will witness things happening in our lives that can only be explained by His powerful presence. How could we be satisfied with anything less?

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GOD GRANTS THE DESIRES OF OUR HEART

"Delight yourself also in the Lord, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." [Psalms 37:4] This verse sounds too good to be true. The Lord will give us whatever we want? But God is not a heavenly Santa Claus who always delivers everything on our wish list. Neither is He an indulgent grandparent who lives to spoil the grandkids by giving all we want. Nor is God a weak parent who, annoyed by whining and tears, gives in to us to keep the peace. So what does this verse mean? God will give you the desires of your heart, but the prerequisite is setting your heart to delight His ways. Are you able to do that, to rejoice in the things that give God joy? Is your heart broken by agonies in the world, by the very things that break God's heart? Is regular time with your Lord nourishment for your soul? Do you love being in His presence in times of worship, both corporate and private? As you delight yourself in the Lord in these and other ways, God adjusts your heart to be in tune with His. Then the longings that grow in your hearts --- the seeds of which are sown during your time with your heavenly Father --- will be His desires for you. And of course He will satisfy that godly hunger.

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THE HEART OF A CHRISTIAN

"Blessed is the man who always fears the Lord, but he who hardens his heart falls into trouble"
Proverbs 28:14

Why is it that some people can go through life's dark valleys and never lose their faith in God, while others turn their backs on God at the first sign of hardship? It’s the same reason some people can run a marathon, while others can’t climb a flight of stairs without stopping to catch their breath. It all depends on the condition they’re in. A marathon runner doesn’t start out as a marathon runner. She works her way training her body little by little until she can endure the grueling intensity of a twenty-six-mile race. If she tried to run the race with no training, her body wouldn’t know how to handle it, and it would shut down. The reason some people can trust God when big problems come is that they’ve been trusting him all along in the little things. They’ve conditioned their hearts by spending regular time with God. They’ve watched him at work all around them, and they’ve listened to his voice, even when there was no crisis. Others may have gradually turned away from God, possibly without even realizing it. They found it more comfortably to stay in bed than to get up and spend time with God. Their non-believing friends ridiculed them for their involvement with Christians, so they gradually pulled out of church. Before they knew it, their hearts were no longer sensitive to God’s leading, and they no longer heard his voice. When a crisis hit, they found themselves alone and in trouble. Take an honest look at your own heart’s condition. Is your heart tender toward God, or are you pulling away from him? If you sense cynicism creeping into your life, spend some quality time meditating on God’s Word. Read the Bible. And pray that God will soften your heart so you can stay with him for the whole race.

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Professing To Be Wise, He Became A Fool.

An Atheist Professor of Philosophy speaks to his class on the problem Science has with the existence of GOD.

He asks one of his new student, whom he knew was a Christian, to stand and inquired. . .

Professor: Young man, you are a Christian, aren't you?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So you Believe in GOD?
Student: Absolutely, sir.
Professor: Is GOD Good ?
Student: Yes He is, Sir.
Professor: Is GOD "All Powerful"?
Student: Yes He is, sir.
Professor: My Brother died of Cancer, even though he was a Christian and always prayed to God to heal him. Most of us would attempt to help others who are ill. But God didn't help him at all despite fervent prayers. So, how is this GOD good then? Hmmm... What can you say about that?

(Student is silent)

Professor: You can't answer, can you ? Let's start again, young fella. Is GOD Good?
Student: Yes sir, He is.
Professor: Is Satan good ?
Student: No Sir, he is not.
Professor: Where did Satan come from ?
Student: From . . . God . . . God created Satan... or, a... Lucifer.
Professor: That's right. Tell me son, is there evil in this World?
Student: Yes there is... sir.
Professor: Evil is everywhere, isn't it? .... and God did make everything. Correct?
Student: A... He created everything...
Professor: So who did He created evil?

(Student does not answer)

Professor: Is there Sickness? Immorality? Hatred? Ugliness? All these terrible things exist in the World, don't they?
Student: Yes, sir.
Professor: So, who Created them ?

(Student has no answer)

Professor: Science says you have 5 Senses you use to Identify and Observe the world around you. Tell me, son . . . Have you ever SEEN God?
Student: No, sir.
Professor: Tell us if you have ever HEARD your God?
Student: No , sir.
Professor: Have you ever FELT your God, TASTED your God, SMELT your God? Have you ever had any Sensory Perception of God for that matter?
Student: No, sir. I'm afraid I haven't.
Professor: And YET you still Believe in HIM???
Student: Yes, I do, sir.
Professor: According to Empirical, Testable, Demonstrable Protocol... Science says your God doesn't exist. What do you say to that, son?
Student: Nothing. I only have my Faith.
Professor: Yes, Faith. And that is the Problem Science has.

(Brief silence)

Student: Professor, is there such a thing as Heat?
Professor: Yes.
Student: And is there such a thing as Cold?
Professor: Yes.
Student: No sir. There isn't...

(The lecture hall becomes very quiet with the turn of events)

Student: Sir, you can have Lots of Heat, even More Heat, Superheat, Mega Heat, White Heat, a Little Heat or No Heat . . . But we don't have anything called Cold. We can hit 458 degrees below Zero which is No Heat, but we can't go any further after that. So there is no such thing as Cold. Cold is only a Word we use to describe in the Absence of Heat. We cannot Measure Cold. Heat is Energy. Cold is Not the Opposite of Heat, sir... just the Absence of it.

(There is dead Silence in the Lecture hall)

Student: What about Darkness, Professor? Is there such a thing as Darkness?
Professor: Yes. What is Night if there isn't Darkness?
Student: You're wrong, sir. Darkness is the Absence of Something.
You can have Low Light, Normal Light, Bright Light, Flashing Light . . .
But if you have No Light constantly, you have nothing and its called Darkness, isn't it, sir? In reality, Darkness isn't.
If it is, were you would be able to make Darkness Darker, wouldn't you?

Professor: So what is the point you are making, young man ?
Student: Sir, my point is that your Philosophical Premise is flawed.
Professor: Flawed? In what sense? Can you explain how?
Student: Sir, you are working on the Premise of Duality.
You argue there is Life and then there is Death . . . a Good God and a Bad God . . . You are viewing the Concept of God as something finite . . . something we can measure. Sir, Science can't even explain a Thought. It uses Electricity and Magnetism, but has never seen, much less fully understood either one. To view Death as the Opposite of Life is to be ignorant of the fact that Death cannot exist as a Substantive Thing. Death is Not the Opposite of Life . . . just the Absence of it.

Student: Now tell me, sir, do you teach your Students that they evolved from a Monkey?
Professor: If you are referring to the Natural Evolutionary Process, yes, of course, I do.
Student: Have you ever observed Evolution with your own eyes, sir?
(The Professor shakes his head with a Smile, beginning to realize where the Argument is going)

Student: Since no one has ever observed the Process of Evolution at work and cannot even prove that this Process is an On-Going endeavor, Are you not teaching your Opinion, sir? Are you not a Scientist, but a Preacher?

(The Class is in Uproar)

Student: Is there anyone in the Class who has ever seen the Professor's Brain? (The Class breaks out into Laughter)

Student: Is there anyone here who has ever heard the Professor's Brain, Felt it, touched or Smelt it? . . .

Student: No one appears to have done so.

Student: So, according to the Established Rules of Empirical, Stable,
Demonstrable Protocol, Science says that you have No Brain, sir.

Student: With all due respect, sir, how do we then Trust your Lectures, sir?

(The Room is Silent. The Professor stares at the Student, his face unfathomable.)

Professor: I guess you'll have to take them on Faith, son.

Student: That Is IT, sir . . . The link between Man & God... is FAITH.
That is all that Keeps Things Moving... and Alive.

The bell rings. The Professor is Saved . . . by the bell.
And the professor never forgot this one incident
when he got squared by a student named Albert Einstein.


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