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Showing posts from September, 2017

TOUGH TIME OPPORTUNITIES

At different times in your life you will find yourself in the midst of a storm that you didn't cause and that you can't control and you will have no choice but to wait it out. These kinds of problems are often the most difficult to face, because they make you feel so helpless. Scripture is clear that we will face problems. When Jesus told the story of the wise and foolish men who built their houses (Matthew 7:24-27), do you remember what common experience both men shared? They both experienced storms that challenged the foundation of their lives. When you look at your problems, they don't seem small. They seem Huge with a capital H. When you look at your problems they don't seem temporary, they seem permanent. But the truth is, it's only a matter of perspective. “There is wonderful joy ahead, even though you have to endure many trials for a little while.” (1 Peter 1:6) When you compare the size of quarter to the size of the sun, the difference in diameter is that

TRY YET AGAIN

One of the hardest things to do is to try again after you have failed. Even harder is to try again after you have failed a dozen or so times. And much harder still is, after one hundred failures, to get up and try one more time. Many people, when confronted with failure just resign themselves to the idea that it will always be this way. But it doesn't have to always be this way. No matter how long it has been this way, it doesn't have to stay this way. You can turn a new page, you can begin a new chapter, and you can start a new life. In order to accomplish this, you must learn a lesson that Simon Peter learned at the feet of Jesus. He and his fellow professional fishermen came up empty after working an all-nighter. Jesus told him to go out where it was deeper and let down their nets and they would catch some fish. Peter followed his directions and, sure enough, those guys caught so many fish their nets began to tear. So awestruck by the amount of fish they caught when they go

THINKING OF SOMEONE ELSE

As King, David abused his power manipulating a woman, Bathsheba, to commit adultery with him then murdering her husband and putting her through an enormous amount of emotional turmoil simply because he could. He wasn’t concerned with what was best for Bathsheba. However, after his confession to Nathan, “I have sinned against the Lord”, I think he realized something during his seven days of fasting and prayer and he took responsibility for his actions. David understood that Bathsheba was in a lot of pain, and he was to blame for it. Though he couldn’t undo what had happened yesterday, he decided to take steps today to make a different tomorrow. “Then David comforted Bathsheba, his wife” (2 Samuel 12:24).   I’m sure this time of comforting involved some apologies and some sincere promises. What’s notable here is that David stopped thinking of himself and began thinking of someone else. Taking responsibility for your actions includes taking care of the people you’ve hurt. If you

GET BACK AT IT

When recovering from the failure of sin, there is a time of contrition, a time of mourning, so to speak. And then there comes a time when you put it all behind you, and begin to move forward again. David spent seven days fasting in intercession for his sick son. When his son passed away, David got up and continued his life. The Bible says, Then David got up from the ground. After he had washed, put on lotions and changed his clothes, he went into the house of the Lord and worshiped. Then he went to his own house, and at his request they served him food, and he ate. (2 Samuel 12:20) It is significant to take note of the phrase presented here in the text — "Then David got up from the ground." There comes a time when — after you have confessed your sin, after you have accepted responsibility for your actions and have surrendered again to the Lordship of Christ —to get up and get on with your life. If you want to survive the failure of sin, repentance isn’t your final st