New Year Resolutions

Here we are again, the last day of the year.  This is a time when many people make New Year resolutions.  As the holidays come to an end people head to the gym to try to get back in shape for the upcoming year and for many it is a time of dieting, getting out the scale, checking their weight and counting calories.  I think from Thanksgiving until now I have put on at least five pounds myself with all the cookies, fudge and other things I have eaten.

New Year resolutions vary covering many areas of our lives.  The problem is that many are never kept; many vows are made but never followed through with.  Losing weight and dieting is, for the most part, a good thing but should be done on a steady basis, as a lifestyle, along with most of the New Year resolutions that are made.  But sadly we lose our desire to keep them and give up far short of our goals which can cause discouragement and guilt feelings.  There is something about the Christmas season that brings out a lot of good intentions but unless followed through with, good intentions accomplish very little.

New Year resolutions are a universal problem that affects believers and non-believers alike, and the outcome seems to be the same in many cases which is failure.  It seems to me that it is better for a believer to just do what they intend to do without making a vow or a promise, in certain situations, and then if they fall short they will not feel condemned.

Read what it says in Matthew 5:33-37, “Again you have heard that it was said to those of old, ‘You shall not swear falsely, but shall perform your oaths to the Lord.’ But I say to you, do not swear at all: neither by heaven, for it is God’s throne; nor by the earth, for it is His footstool; nor by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the great King. Nor shall you swear by your head, because you cannot make one hair white or black. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No.’ For whatever is more than these is from the evil one.”

Oaths and vows were common in Jesus’ day but Jesus told His followers not to use them; their word alone should be enough.  In our culture, with all the lying that goes on, we may feel when we make a statement we have to back it up with a promise, but promises are not necessary if we are truthful, our yes or no should be sufficient.  Many times we use oaths or vows when we don’t need to especially as believers.  If your intentions are to do something, try your best to do it but if you fail you won’t have to beat yourself up over the condemnation you feel because of the vow or promise you made.

Read what it says in James 5:12, “But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your ‘Yes’ be ‘Yes,’ and your ‘No,’ ‘No,’ lest you fall into judgment.”

People that are given to exaggeration or lying are not trusted, but believers should not be like that.  No, believers should have a reputation of integrity so vows and promises shouldn’t be necessary in most of their dealings with others.  I have heard this said, “A man is only as good as his word.”  I have given you something to think about and I hope it has been a help.  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a great day and don’t forget to praise and thank the Lord!!

Challenges

I heard some things on challenges yesterday and I thought I would try to do a ‘Tidbit’ on it today.  Question: do you think King David was a real man of God?

This is what it says about him in 1 Samuel 13:14, “But now your kingdom shall not continue. The Lord has sought for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has commanded him to be commander over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”

It also says this in Acts 13:22, “And when He had removed him, He raised up for them David as king, to whom also He gave testimony and said, ‘I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after My own heart, who will do all My will.’”

I have said this before in other Tidbits, David wasn’t a perfect man.  If you know much about him you know he sinned on many occasions and he also dealt with many challenges in his life.  We have been guilty of many sins also and we are also faced with many challenges.  David started out as a shepherd which was a challenge in itself because shepherds were like total outcasts.  In David’s day taking care of stinking sheep wasn’t considered the greatest occupation by far.  Shepherds lived with the sheep and smelled like the sheep.  Then there were the challenges of protecting the sheep from robbers and wild animals which David encountered.

Read what he said to King Saul when another challenge came his way, namely Goliath, in 1 Samuel 17:33-37:

“And Saul said to David, ‘You are not able to go against this Philistine to fight with him; for you are a youth, and he a man of war from his youth.’

But David said to Saul, ‘Your servant used to keep his father’s sheep, and when a lion or a bear came and took a lamb out of the flock, I went out after it and struck it, and delivered the lamb from its mouth; and when it arose against me, I caught it by its beard, and struck and killed it. Your servant has killed both lion and bear; and this uncircumcised Philistine will be like one of them, seeing he has defied the armies of the living God.’ Moreover David said, ‘The Lord, who delivered me from the paw of the lion and from the paw of the bear, He will deliver me from the hand of this Philistine.’

And Saul said to David, ‘Go, and the Lord be with you!’”

After defeating Goliath, David had many more challenges with King Saul and with the members of his own family.  Even though David failed at times he didn’t let the failures define who he was, he never gave into them.  David was truly a man after God’s own heart.

Challenges will come to believers but they can never defeat us unless we give into them and quit.  Challenges will help us become better people if we have a proper perspective.  We don’t always know why we face some of the challenges that we do but if we stay positive seeking the Lord to help us with them we can become better people because of them.  One of the things challenges show us is what is inside of us.  We can praise and thank the Lord when things are going good but what do we do when things aren’t going good, do we have the power within us to be overcomers?  

It isn’t hard to look like a believer or even talk like one and in the right settings to act like one, but when the challenges come that you can’t control and everything seems to be spinning out of control and even the Lord seems nowhere to be found, do you have the power within you to meet the challenge head on or do you crumble and run and become a deserter?  Sometimes people can be a challenge and you try to avoid them because they make you very mad and angry, but did you ever think that it is not the person that makes you mad, it is what is inside you that makes you mad, possibly jealousy or something else that needs to be dealt with in your life.  

David Jeremiah said this, “Challenges don’t make you who you are, they reveal who you are.”  So when the challenges come, and they will, stand strong and trust and rely on the Lord to help you overcome whatever they may be and remember these words in John 16:33, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

                                             

In spite of the inevitable challenges they, or we, would face, with the Lord’s help we can overcome them also.  Something to think about!  May the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!

Condemned

Condemned if I do and condemned if I don’t, this is the way I feel.  And to be honest I am sick and tired of it.  It seems like my life sucks, if not for my wife and family, why should I take up space.  

This sums it up nicely, read Psalms 88:1-18,

“O Lord, God of my salvation,

I have cried out day and night before You.

Let my prayer come before You;

Incline Your ear to my cry.

For my soul is full of troubles,

And my life draws near to the grave.

I am counted with those who go down to the pit;

I am like a man who has no strength,

Adrift among the dead,

Like the slain who lie in the grave,

Whom You remember no more,

And who are cut off from Your hand.

You have laid me in the lowest pit,

In darkness, in the depths.

Your wrath lies heavy upon me,

And You have afflicted me with all Your waves. Selah

You have put away my acquaintances far from me;

You have made me an abomination to them;

I am shut up, and I cannot get out;

My eye wastes away because of affliction.

Lord, I have called daily upon You;

I have stretched out my hands to You.

Will You work wonders for the dead?

Shall the dead arise and praise You? Selah

Shall Your lovingkindness be declared in the grave?

Or Your faithfulness in the place of destruction?

Shall Your wonders be known in the dark?

And Your righteousness in the land of forgetfulness?

But to You I have cried out, O Lord,

And in the morning my prayer comes before You.

Lord, why do You cast off my soul?

Why do You hide Your face from me?

I have been afflicted and ready to die from my youth;

I suffer Your terrors;

I am distraught.

Your fierce wrath has gone over me;

Your terrors have cut me off.

They came around me all day long like water;

They engulfed me altogether.

Loved one and friend You have put far from me,

And my acquaintances into darkness.”

I think I feel something like Job did when he cursed the day he was born.  I have struggled all my life with illnesses, psychological and emotional problems and am still plagued with many of them.  I have prayed for these many times but God is not listening, if somehow He would only take notice like He used to.  And please if you read this, I don’t need any so called friends like Job had, they are easy to find.  I know I have sinned but I have also repented and confessed and asked for forgiveness and I know what 1 John 1:9 says, so please don’t hound me with that or any other foolish arguments.  

If you remember the story about King Hezekiah and how he became like an animal, eating grass like them, also losing his kingship for a period of time; maybe that is my lot also.  So laugh if you must, life goes on, but just like Job I can say this, even if He slays me I will still praise Him.

Something to think about!  May you have a super day and may the good Lord bless you and yours!!  PS don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord for He is worthy!!

Your Response

How do you respond to God’s plan?  I think if God clearly speaks to a person about something there would be different responses.  I also believe we can miss God and it wouldn’t hurt to have a backup plan.

I know a guy that was so sure that he heard from God about what he was supposed to do a few years ago that he put his house up for sale and was getting ready to move.  I asked him if he had a backup plan because I had some doubt about what he thought he was going to do, to which he replied emphatically, “I don’t need a backup plan.”  My instinct was to tell him I thought he did need a backup plan but I just went on without saying anything, but in the end what he thought so dogmatically about didn’t happen, in his case he needed a backup plan.  He did end up moving but some of the circumstances changed and also the location.  Some people can react so dogmatically sure of themselves when they think they hear from God, while others will react with doubt.

Read what happened to Gideon in Judges 6:11-16, “Now the Angel of the Lord came and sat under the terebinth tree which was in Ophrah, which belonged to Joash the Abiezrite, while his son Gideon threshed wheat in the winepress, in order to hide it from the Midianites. And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him, and said to him, ‘The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor!’

Gideon said to Him, ‘O my lord, if the Lord is with us, why then has all this happened to us? And where are all His miracles which our fathers told us about, saying, ‘Did not the Lord bring us up from Egypt?’ But now the Lord has forsaken us and delivered us into the hands of the Midianites.’

Then the Lord turned to him and said, ‘Go in this might of yours, and you shall save Israel from the hand of the Midianites. Have I not sent you?’

So he said to Him, ‘O my Lord, how can I save Israel? Indeed my clan is the weakest in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.’

And the Lord said to him, ‘Surely I will be with you, and you shall defeat the Midianites as one man.’”

You would think that would have been a no brainer and Gideon would have been obedient but not so.  Read what it says in verses 17-23, “Then he said to Him, ‘If now I have found favor in Your sight, then show me a sign that it is You who talk with me. Do not depart from here, I pray, until I come to You and bring out my offering and set it before You.’

And He said, ‘I will wait until you come back.’

So Gideon went in and prepared a young goat, and unleavened bread from an ephah of flour. The meat he put in a basket, and he put the broth in a pot; and he brought them out to Him under the terebinth tree and presented them. The Angel of God said to him, ‘Take the meat and the unleavened bread and lay them on this rock, and pour out the broth.’ And he did so.

Then the Angel of the Lord put out the end of the staff that was in His hand, and touched the meat and the unleavened bread; and fire rose out of the rock and consumed the meat and the unleavened bread. And the Angel of the Lord departed out of his sight.

Now Gideon perceived that He was the Angel of the Lord. So Gideon said, ‘Alas, O Lord God! For I have seen the Angel of the Lord face to face.’

Then the Lord said to him, ‘Peace be with you; do not fear, you shall not die.’”

It seems like after this Gideon would have been satisfied and ready, but he still seemed to lack faith and trust in God, so he used a fleece.  Read what it says in verses 33-40, “Then all the Midianites and Amalekites, the people of the East, gathered together; and they crossed over and encamped in the Valley of Jezreel. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon; then he blew the trumpet, and the Abiezrites gathered behind him. And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh, who also gathered behind him. He also sent messengers to Asher, Zebulun, and Naphtali; and they came up to meet them.

So Gideon said to God, “If You will save Israel by my hand as You have said— look, I shall put a fleece of wool on the threshing floor; if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that You will save Israel by my hand, as You have said.” And it was so. When he rose early the next morning and squeezed the fleece together, he wrung the dew out of the fleece, a bowlful of water. Then Gideon said to God, “Do not be angry with me, but let me speak just once more: Let me test, I pray, just once more with the fleece; let it now be dry only on the fleece, but on all the ground let there be dew.” And God did so that night. It was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground.”

To shorten this ‘Tidbit,’ Gideon finally defeats the Midianites but you should read the rest of the story which goes on in chapters 7 and 8.  What can we learn from this?  Sometimes we can be mistaken, thinking we heard from God and be discouraged when what we thought we heard doesn’t happen and other times we can be sure we heard from God and lack faith to do His will but either way God still loves us and He will always be faithful.  We need to put our hope and trust in Him!!  Something to think about, may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!  I wish you a merry and blessed Christmas and don’t forget to thank and praise the Lord!

Help Is On The Way

I found a list in a Bible I have that was titled “A 24 Hour Hotline of Emergency Numbers” that I thought was interesting so I modified it a little and thought I would share it with you.

When in sorrow = John 14

When men let you down, when you are depressed = Psalms 27:1-6

When guilty of sin = Psalm 51 (David’s repentant prayer) and 1 John 1:9

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”

Becoming stressed or worried = Matthew 6:19-34

       

In danger = Psalms 91

When God seems to be nowhere to be found = Psalms 139

A stronger faith = Hebrews 11

Lonely and scared = Psalms 23

Bitter root rises up within and critical thinking results = 1 Corinthians 13

Feeling knocked down and discouraged = Romans 8:31

“What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?”  

Need rest and peace = Matthew 11:25-30

When God seems smaller than the world around you = Psalms 90

Needing assurance of your standing with the Lord = Romans 8:1-30

When people seem unkind = John 15

When your confidence in people is gone = 1 Corinthians 13

When your prayers grow narrow or selfish = Psalms 67

Getting along with your fellow man = Romans 12

I hope these will be a help to you and may the good Lord bless you and yours and may you have a super day!!