Red Light

    How many of us have been sitting at a red light and when it turned green the car in front of us didn't go immediately? What did you do?  Chances are you honked the horn.  I know I have, many times.  It's our nature as human beings, we want everything done now, with no waiting.  God however works in His own time and really isn't worried if we want it now or not. 
    When we ask God for something and do not get it right away it doesn't mean He isn't listening or doesn't care.  There could be many reasons He does not grant our wishes right away.....

• Teaching us to trust Him
• Setting up the situation
• Teaching us patience
• Purifying the motives of our wants

    These are just a few things He could doing during the delay.  We must resist the urges to push ahead to get what we want because this can have unintended consequences and ultimately stop us from getting the very thing we are asking for.  We can be our own worst enemy in these situations.  Waiting on God takes.....

• Faith
• Courage
• Humility
• Patience

    Our willingness to wait shows the true value of what we are waiting for.  In other words, if we want it that bad enough we will be willing to wait for it.  God always hears us and as long as we ask with pure hearts and proper motives He is willing to answer us.   Ask God to grant you patience in your situation ans trust Him.  He loves us dearly.

Anchor

JAMES 1:6 "But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind."

  In times of trouble do you find yourself doubting? I think we can all answer yes to that one because it is part of our fallible human nature.  There is something we can do to overcome our doubts and fears though and that is to turn to the Infallible Word of God.  Everything you need to know is written in the Bible.  The catch to all of the knowledge available to you is that you must take the time to study His Word so you can have a better understanding of God's promises to us.

   There is no substitute for prayer and Bible study.  I know we are all very busy in our lives and it seems overwhelming at times but we have no excuse not to spend quiet time in His Word. If you understand what is written then you can overcome the doubt, fear, and anxieties this world is constantly throwing at us.  God wants us to have a life of peace but the only way to have that is to trust in Him and bring all of our cares to Him.

   So when you are feeling like one of those waves being tossed to and fro look to God and let Him be your Anchor.  I can guarantee it will make a huge difference in the way you handle adversity.

  

Christ's Peace

4Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. 5Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; 6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. 8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. 9What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. — Philippians 4:4-9
 
  What does it mean to rejoice in the Lord? I mean really be at peace and rejoice in the Lord. Now some of you may be thinking, “Pastor, you don’t know how bad my life is or how bad my life has been. It would be pretty hard for me to rejoice right now.” Well, we all have a starting point, and you won’t understand how to “rejoice in the Lord” if you start in the middle. In the verses above, Paul is not saying “don’t worry, be happy.” He’s talking about a supernatural joy that comes not from circumstances, but from a deep contentment in Christ. We so often want to try to get peace and joy from our circumstances, and we keep asking God to change them.
    But what God wants to do is show us that the path to joy starts by trusting in the sovereign, living God through the person of Jesus Christ. He wants to show us that we can have unbelievable, supernatural joy in the middle of any circumstance. Really. It can happen. We place such false confidence in our circumstances bringing us joy. You know, the “If I just had fill-in-the-blank, I could finally rejoice. “And just how long would that last if you got it? The reality is that our circumstances are always changing. Think about it; if you found the most wonderful circumstances—your spouse, your baby, a new car, a boyfriend or girlfriend—pick whatever you want. Will it stay the same? Well, will it?
     The spouse will change, the baby will need changing, the car will soon lose that new car smell, that boyfriend or girlfriend will be disappointing—it all changes. Circumstances are shifting sand and you can’t stand on them—or find deep joy in them alone. The starting point is finding joy in the person of Jesus Christ; not success, not people, not money, not status, not drugs and alcohol, not therapy, but in a deep, abiding relationship with the Lord. You may ask, “So, exactly how do I do that?” Cultivate a relationship with Him through prayer where you both talk to Him and listen to Him. You know you are having a good relationship with someone when you are actively trying to hear what they have to say. Abide in Him. Spend so much time with Him reading His Word and praying that talking to Him becomes natural. Joy will now come, and over time, you will see that no matter what the circumstance, your joy and peace, as long as it is found in Christ first, will remain.

    Prayer - Father, what a joy it is to know that You want me to abide with You at all times. Forgive me when I get caught up in the busyness of my day and don’t spend the time I need to be able to rejoice in all circumstances. Help me to remember that you love me and watch out for me. Help me to carve out time in my schedule for You, Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen.  

Thanks to Walk in the Word Ministries.

Thanks!

Thanks everyone for being patient. It's been a rough couple of months work wise but I am back, which I never should have left, and I hope you will continue reading and spread the word. Thanks again.

PRAYERS NEEDED

I wanted to throw out a request for all affected by the storms going on right now. A girl my wife knows said her family in KY came out after the storms and the first 3 houses next to them they went to everyone had died. They had found one survivor and he was in a ditch to avoid storm. Indiana has seen at least two entire Towns destroyed. Please pray. This doesn't seem real. we are expected to get hit in about 3 or 4 hours. Hopefully not the full force of what others have seen. These people need our prayers desperately. Thanks.