A Time Where Uncertainty Rules…

We live in a time where uncertainty rules. Worry, fear, and cases of depression are skyrocketing among us. With all this uncertainty, how do we deal with it as believers? First off, uncertainty is part of life. It’s always been here. Jesus said in His time, “we don’t know what tomorrow brings, today has enough trouble of its own.” James stated that “we are foolish to make plans without God.” God will provide. He will meet our needs. Look what He did for the Israelites during their 40 year wondering in the desert. He provided manna to eat. When they reached the Promised Land, the manna stopped, and was replaced with the crops from the land. God is trustworthy. He will provide for our needs. The solution to society’s worry and fear of uncertainty is to focus on the One Whom we should fear, and know we can trust to provide. In God we trust. Isn’t that the textbook definition of what Christian faith is?

10 While the Israelites were camped at Gilgal on the plains of Jericho, they celebrated Passover on the evening of the fourteenth day of the first month. 11 The very next day they began to eat unleavened bread and roasted grain harvested from the land. 12 No manna appeared on the day they first ate from the crops of the land, and it was never seen again. So from that time on the Israelites ate from the crops of Canaan. Joshua 5:10-12

In Order To Fulfill The Great Commission….

Evangelism 101. We don’t need to take anything with us in order to fulfill the great commission. We only need the Holy Spirit’s involvement in our lives to effectively reach the lost. Jesus tells His disciples this as He sent them out. They succeeded because of the work of the Holy Spirit, not because they possessed any great skill. In order to fulfill the Great Commission, Jesus gave to all believers, we only need one thing, a close and right relationship with God, which breeds into us a willingness to share the Good News. He does all the rest.

1 One day Jesus called together His twelve disciples and gave them power and authority to cast out all demons and to heal all diseases. 2 Then He sent them out to tell everyone about the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick. 3 “Take nothing for your journey,” He instructed them. “Don’t take a walking stick, a traveler’s bag, food, money, or even a change of clothes.4 Wherever you go, stay in the same house until you leave town.5 And if a town refuses to welcome you, shake its dust from your feet as you leave to show that you have abandoned those people to their fate.”6 So they began their circuit of the villages, preaching the Good News and healing the sick. Luke 9:1-6

Receptive To Our Input….

A big problem in today’s society is most people don’t listen. We are so caught up in ourselves that our minds aren’t receptive to others. Jesus was the Master when it came to listening to others. Why? Because people matter. Jesus is the answer to the world’s issues. In order to diagnose a problem you have to listen to what the issue is first. Sometimes that takes time to diagnose. Listening is the key ingredient in the solution recipe. Right alongside the inability to listen is the inability to accept criticism. Again, it all boils down to our self-centeredness. Why would anyone listen to another when they seem happy with their life (even though they are not)? The ability to listen and accept criticism is a selfless act, a sign of humility. When we know our place in this world, and we know Who it is we draw our significance from, it opens the door to being able to accept criticism. It also helps our listening skills knowing we have the answer to the world’s problems, it’s just a matter of allowing the person standing in front of us to know they are being heard, before they are receptive to our input.

18 If you ignore criticism, you will end in poverty and disgrace; if you accept correction, you will be honored. Proverbs 13:18

When We Are Discouraged…

When we are discouraged or sad or distraught, focus on God. Praise Him. Sing songs about what He has done. It gets the focus off of “me” and onto the Real Object of our affection.

As the deer longs for streams of water,so I long for You, O God.2 I thirst for God, the living God.When can I go and stand before Him?3 Day and night I have only tears for food,while my enemies continually taunt me, saying,“Where is this God of yours?” 4 My heart is breaking as I remember how it used to be:I walked among the crowds of worshipers,leading a great procession to the house of God,singing for joy and giving thanks amid the sound of a great celebration! 5 Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise Him again–my Savior and 6 my God! Now I am deeply discouraged,but I will remember You–even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the Jordan,from the land of Mount Mizar.7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas as Your waves and surging tides sweep over me.8 But each day the Lord pours His unfailing love upon me,and through each night I sing His songs,praying to God who gives me life. 9 “O God my rock,” I cry,“Why have You forgotten me?Why must I wander around in grief,oppressed by my enemies?”10 Their taunts break my bones.They scoff, “Where is this God of yours?” 11 Why am I discouraged?Why is my heart so sad?I will put my hope in God!I will praise Him again–my Savior and my God! Psalms 42:1-11

To Help Remember God’s Works…

The problem the world has is that it does not know God or fear Him. Why? Because people fail at doing the things to pass on His remembrance. Joshua built a memorial out of stones taken from the dry Jordan River bed. He did this as a reminder of what God did that day for the Israelites. Just as He parted the Red Sea, God did the same to the Jordan River so that Israel could cross over into the Promised Land. What do you do to help remember God’s works in your life? A prayer journal might be a modern day equivalent of Joshua’s stone memorial. Start one today.

24 He did this so all the nations of the earth might know that the Lord’s hand is powerful, and so you might fear the Lord your God forever.” Joshua 4:24

God Has No Rival, No Comparison….

In one chapter Jesus tells two parables, calms a storm, restores a demon-possessed man back to sanity, heals a woman with a long-term medical issue, and raises a little girl from the dead. The Apostle John was right, if he had tried to write down all that Jesus did, there aren’t enough books to contain them. We serve a mighty God. One like no other. God has no rival, no comparison, for He is One of a kind. He is all powerful, so much so, Nature obeys Him. Demons obey Him. Sickness and disease obey Him. And death obeys Him. We serve an awesome God.

38 The man who had been freed from the demons begged to go with Him. But Jesus sent him home, saying, 39 “No, go back to your family, and tell them everything God has done for you.” So he went all through the town proclaiming the great things Jesus had done for him. 40 On the other side of the lake the crowds welcomed Jesus, because they had been waiting for Him. 41 Then a man named Jairus, a leader of the local synagogue, came and fell at Jesus’ feet, pleading with Him to come home with him. 42 His only daughter, who was about twelve years old, was dying.As Jesus went with him, He was surrounded by the crowds. 43 A woman in the crowd had suffered for twelve years with constant bleeding, and she could find no cure. 44 Coming up behind Jesus, she touched the fringe of His robe. Immediately, the bleeding stopped.45 “Who touched Me?” Jesus asked.Everyone denied it, and Peter said, “Master, this whole crowd is pressing up against You.”46 But Jesus said, “Someone deliberately touched Me, for I felt healing power go out from Me.” 47 When the woman realized that she could not stay hidden, she began to tremble and fell to her knees in front of Him. The whole crowd heard her explain why she had touched Him and that she had been immediately healed. 48 “Daughter,” He said to her, “your faith has made you well. Go in peace.”49 While He was still speaking to her, a messenger arrived from the home of Jairus, the leader of the synagogue. He told him, “Your daughter is dead. There’s no use troubling the Teacher now.”50 But when Jesus heard what had happened, He said to Jairus, “Don’t be afraid. Just have faith, and she will be healed.”51 When they arrived at the house, Jesus wouldn’t let anyone go in with Him except Peter, John, James, and the little girl’s father and mother. 52 The house was filled with people weeping and wailing, but He said, “Stop the weeping! She isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.”53 But the crowd laughed at Him because they all knew she had died. 54 Then Jesus took her by the hand and said in a loud voice, “My child, get up!” 55 And at that moment her life returned, and she immediately stood up! Then Jesus told them to give her something to eat. 56 Her parents were overwhelmed, but Jesus insisted that they not tell anyone what had happened. Luke 8:38-56

Enough Evidence To Convict You….

Isn’t it amazing how God works? All the people living in the “promised land” before the Israelites even set foot in it, knew about their reputation. They knew how God rescued them from Egypt. They had heard of the miracles. They knew of the wars won and kings defeated. They knew God was the supreme God of the universe. And they were terrified. Just think about your reputation. Do you walk with God daily? Do you pursue righteousness? Do you cultivate the fruits of the Spirit? What do you think your reputation is like, how it’s perceived by others? Others you may not even know? When you live a life being loyal to God, He makes your reputation one that’s respectable. The way we carry ourselves matters, more than we think. The Israelites reputation traveled all the way to Jericho, and it helped rescue and save a prostitute named Rahab. What will your reputation do? Will it bless or curse? If your life was on trial in order to convince others of you being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?

8 Before the spies went to sleep that night, Rahab went up on the roof to talk with them. 9 “I know the Lord has given you this land,” she told them. “We are all afraid of you. Everyone in the land is living in terror. 10 For we have heard how the Lord made a dry path for you through the Red Sea when you left Egypt. And we know what you did to Sihon and Og, the two Amorite kings east of the Jordan River, whose people you completely destroyed. 11 No wonder our hearts have melted in fear! No one has the courage to fight after hearing such things. For the Lord your God is the supreme God of the heavens above and the earth below.12 “Now swear to me by the Lord that you will be kind to me and my family since I have helped you. Give me some guarantee that 13 when Jericho is conquered, you will let me live, along with my father and mother, my brothers and sisters, and all their families.”14 “We offer our own lives as a guarantee for your safety,” the men agreed. “If you don’t betray us, we will keep our promise and be kind to you when the Lord gives us the land.” Joshua 2:8-14