Wonderful Jesus!

Category: hard times

• Change Your World!

  Posted at 10:58 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on September 20, 2020

  Hebrews 11:3 -Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear. KJV

  

  * When I posted this yesterday, somehow it posted for earlier this month and I had to search for it. My apologies for the late posting!

  change-your-world_.mp3

  Have you ever had a situation in life that you didn’t understand? Well, if you haven’t, I have had enough of them to share some with you! It is doing those times of difficulties and confusion that we find it hard to believe God; however, if you remain true to Him during those times, you will find that He is truly God, and that He can change your world!

  Years ago, I was reading something Rick Renner wrote in regards to this verse, that has stuck with me. Rick said that when we look at this verse, we think about creation being formed by the word of God, where He caused something to appear out of nothing. He went on to explain, and you may need to read it from him to really get it, that it means something totally different. Basically, he stated that the Hall of Faith is written about people who changed their world, by faith in the word of God. I think that is not only an interesting point of view, but a biblical sound point of view.

  There was Abraham, the father of faith, and the patriarch of Israel. At God’s word, he left Ur and went into a land that he didn’t know. As he obeyed the word that God gave him, a whole nation of people were born, changing the world as he knew it. Out of a barren woman, came forth a nation that is still in existence today! Abraham chose to believe God, and the world was changed because of it.

  Take Joseph. God gave Joseph two dreams. In the dreams, his family bowed to him. Even being in slavery didn’t stop Joseph from trusting God’s plan for his life. Not only did his dream come to pass, but Joseph ended up saving his family, and thus the nation of Israel. But here’s something that jumped out at me, his brothers sold him into slavery, and his brother’s families were in slavery for over 400 years! God’s word to a young man literally changed his world, causing him to be the head and not the tail, in the land of his enslavement. And it changed the world in which he lived!

  My all time favorite world changer is Jesus. He’s still changing the world today! However, I will use my next favorite person to seal the deal. Paul! Paul didn’t start out with a love for Jesus, or His message. As a matter of fact, he persecuted the believers. But one day he was literally knocked to his knees by an encounter with the Savior. As a result, his world was changed, the church world was changed, and the gospel was preached to the Gentiles. God gave him a word, and that word changed everything about his life and in his life!

  World changers are people who are not encumbered with their past, or their present, but only in what they believe. Here are a few people from our immediate history I am sure you remember:

  George Washington Carver, born a slave, wasn’t moved by the fact that Black people were considered less than human, illiterate, and incapable of thinking for themselves. He was moved by his love for agriculture and his faith that he could help his people make a living. In the process, he changed the agricultural world. The records show that he was a man of faith who trusted God with even his scientific discoveries. Did he experience challenges and setbacks? You bet he did! But he changed his world, with a word from God!

  Harriet Tubman learned to hear the voice of God. One day God told her to run! As she obeyed His voice, she found her way up North, and freedom from slavery. His same voice, led her back South, enabling her to free over 300 others, never getting caught. She changed her world, their world, and eventually the world in which she lived. How? By a word from God!

  These individuals didn’t have an easy life. They didn’t have anything to start with. They didn’t even start out as world changers. They went through great challenges and setbacks, but they had a word from God. Inside each of us, is definitely the ability to change our world, and the possibility of changing the world for others. We just need a word from God.

  Faith, is about trust. It isn’t blind faith, but it is faith in the character and the word of the person you have placed your trust in. You will never experience a relationship with anyone who is more faithful to his word, then God! His favor doesn’t require a payback, or a scratch on the back! He just requires that you trust Him no matter what!

  I am truly training my heart and my words to understand that what I don’t understand in this life, I choose to understand by faith in a wonderful God! Faith in a loving God! Faith in a good God! I don’t know what you are going through today, or what you went through yesterday, but Jesus is the same! His promise to us remains the same, He is with us!

  You may not feel like, and it may not seem like it, but you are a world changer. If not the whole world, definitely yours. All you need is a word from the word of God to hold on to, to trust in! As you face the challenges of your life, put the word on it and begin to watch your world change. It’s time for us to realize that anybody can have faith when the going is good; but having faith when the going gets tough? That’s true faith! That’s overcoming faith! That’s Hebrews 11 faith! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Faith, God, hard times | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, encouragement, Faith, George Washington Carver, God, hard times, Harriet Tubman, trust in God, word of God

• Proud to Be Bitter!

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 27, 2020

  Ruth 1:19-20 – Now the two of them went until they came to Bethlehem. And it happened, when they had come to Bethlehem, that all the city was excited because of them; and the women said, “ Is this Naomi?” But she said to them, “Do not call me Naomi; call me Mara, for the Almighty has dealt very bitterly with me.” NKJV

  

  proud-to-be-bitter_-1.mp3

  In my last post, I wrote about the children of Israel stopping at a place called Marah. Today I want to continue my discussion of the sin of bitterness. I sensed a need to “update” this “series” from my first year of blogging.

  Naomi and her husband went to the land of Moab with their sons to avoid the famine in Bethlehem. After they got to Moab, her husband died. Her two sons had married Moabite women and after a time, her sons died. Around this time, Naomi hears that there is food in Bethlehem, and she decides to return to the land that she had come from. Her daughters-in-law wanted to go with her; but in the end, Ruth was the only one to travel with her to Bethlehem.

  It’s been at least 10 years since Naomi and her family departed from Bethlehem, maybe longer. For some reason, the women of Bethlehem ask “Is this Naomi?” It could have been the shock of seeing her again, or of seeing her alone, or she could have changed in some way. Whatever the reason, they were unsure that it was her.

  Naomi immediately tells the women that they are not to call her Naomi, which means pleasant, but they are to call her Mara which means bitter. She continues to explain why she wants to change her name:

  • The Lord has dealt very bitterly with me, she said!

  • I went out full (with a husband and two sons).

  • And the Lord has brought me home again empty; which wasn’t completely true, because she had a daughter in Ruth!

  I’m not judging Naomi, but it’s pretty obvious here that she is making it plain that she is bitter and has a right to be bitter. She is so bitter, that she believes the Lord has dealt very bitterly with her. I can only imagine the devastating heartache that would accompany the loss of both a husband and your children. So I get that she is hurting! What I don’t understand is why she feels she has a right to be bitter!

  In Naomi telling the women, “Call me Mara” she sounds as if being bitter is a badge of honor. It is not! Then she goes on to list all of her issues as if she has earned the right to be bitter. She has not! God wasn’t responsible for the things that caused her bitterness, and He isn’t responsible for any bitterness that we may harbor in our heart.

  The Bible doesn’t elaborate on how her husband and sons perished, but whatever caused their deaths, she laid the blame at God’s door, and that’s not where it belongs!

  In Jeremiah 4:18, God shares insight into bitterness:

  “It’s the way you’ve lived that’s brought all this on you. The bitter taste is from your evil life. That’s what’s piercing your heart.” Jeremiah 4:18 MSG

  In other words, God is saying that the bitterness isn’t from His hand. He wasn’t piercing Naomi’s heart, life was! He isn’t piercing your heart, life is! Maybe not your life, but maybe the life of a loved one lived without God, and your heart is pierced. It’s not His fault! Things happen to the just and the unjust! When stuff happens to the just, we are not to react like the unjust. The unjust have no hope for they are without God; but we have the promise of deliverance, from the Great Deliverer!

  Peter, in addressing Simon the diviner realized that he was a bitter man and said this:

  For I see that you are poisoned by bitterness and bound by iniquity.” Acts 8:23 NKJV

  Bitterness is poison to the soul. It is deadly and capable of causing many physical issues in your life. It’s not worth holding on to!

  In the book of Hebrews, it is written:

  “Looking carefully lest anyone fall short of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up cause trouble, and by this many become defiled;” Hebrews 12:15 NKJV

  The writer of Hebrews encourages us to be careful unless we allow a root of bitterness to spring up and bring trouble in our lives and cause many people to be defiled. When we are bitter we have a tendency of defiling ourselves and others. Our bitterness becomes the lens in which life and relationships are processed.

  When I got married, several divorced women told me that all men were dogs. Others told me to watch out for the seven year itch. These things were said by women who had become embittered towards the institution of marriage and men. Probably with great cause! These words could have defiled me and my marriage had I listened to them! But I didn’t! I considered my source!

  James said:

  But if you have bitter, envy, and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth. James 3:14 NKJV

  James is letting us know that there is nothing to boast about when we are bitter. As a matter of fact when we boast, we lie against the truth! Our situations, our pain, and eventually our bitterness makes us feel like we have a right to feel the way we feel, and say the things we say, which results in us lying against the truth of God’s word!

  In my opinion, bitterness short-circuits a heart of gratefulness. Naomi was still alive! Ruth had come with her to help provide for her and to take care of her. They had made it back to Bethlehem without any trouble. She had much to be thankful for. But she wasn’t concerned about anything except the fact that she had loss so much! Ruth was also a widow and we don’t get any vibes that she was bitter. Naomi’s bitterness was so deep that she could only see her pain and her losses, and was blind to the goodness of God. Rightly she said that she should be called bitter because she was a very bitter woman.

  But Naomi had a loving Father. One who doesn’t easily offend. One who knows we are imperfect beings. One who understands. And even though she couldn’t see Him working things out to bless her, He was doing exactly that! And thankfully, if you are born again, your Heavenly Father is wanting you free of bitterness because the poison is destroying the blessings He is bringing in your life!

  Life is tough! For some it seems to be down right unbearable. But, it is not an excuse for bitterness, or a need to boast in it! Bitterness says I will never do this, or I will never do that, because of what happened to me! Bitterness says that no one has the right to tell me how to feel until they have walked in my shoes! Bitterness says I will never trust another person as long as I live! All these emotional statements stem from a root of bitterness!

  Stop boasting in your bitterness! Get rid of it! A willing and repentant heart is all God needs to start the process of healing! Instead of blaming Him, try trusting Him! Instead of living with bitterness, try living without it! Let it go! It’s only making you sick! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Attitude, Bitterness, hard times | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, encouragemnt, freedom, hard times, Healing, Naomi, offense, Ruth, trust in God, victory

• God Our Strength!

  Posted at 5:01 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 21, 2020

  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” KJV

  

  god-our-strength_.mp3

  In my previous post, I wrote about God as our refuge. In this blog, I want to talk about God, our strength!

  The stories I can tell about God being my strength! I have discovered that not only does God provide us with His strength, but He is our strength. In the book of 1 Samuel, He is called the Strength of Israel. When the nations around Israel looked at the Israelites and saw strength, it was God’s strength that they really saw. When people see us, the children of God, during these difficult days, they should see God’s strength radiating through us, because He is our strength!

  David knew his strength was God, not just in God, but God. God delivered David from the hand of Saul and his enemies, causing David to say, “God is my strength and power: and He makes my way perfect.” We all know that David didn’t have a perfect life, nor did he have an easy life, but he knew that God had been his strength during his life, enabling him to rise above incredible obstacles.

  David was ignored by his family and given the job of shepherding the family’s sheep, but God was His strength during that time. David killed the lion and the bear, and was confident enough to take out Goliath, because God was his strength. David’s men wanted to stone him after their families were taken at Ziklag, but David went off by himself and communed with God, his strength! The Bible tells us that he encouraged himself in the Lord! There he got the answers and the strength he needed, to go and recover all!

  David was hunted by Saul, simply because of Saul’s jealousy towards him; but when given the opportunity to hurt Saul, his Strength would not allow him to do it. David’s mighty men didn’t go to him as warriors, but as men in distress, with debt and discontent as their description, and because God was David’s strength, he helped them to embrace God as their strength.

  As I was meditating on the truth that God is our strength, God brought the church to my mind. I thought about the pastors who are preaching to empty chairs in an empty sanctuary. It was hard at the beginning of the virus, but it’s even harder now. One well known pastor struggled so in the beginning, that his thoughts were jumbled and his movements were disjointed. What started out as a possible few weeks of interruption has become months of uncertainties. Not only is the church faced with empty sanctuaries, but they also have to deal with loss of income that support the ministry and pay the bills.

  While it is understandable that there is a great concern about the finances, pastors also have a great concern about the people God has given them to watch over. One woman in ministry was sharing with me her concerns for the flock. She said she couldn’t understand how you can have a membership of 100 people and only 12 of them join you online for services. Her concern was real, as she wanted to know if the people really had a relationship with God, where were they at?

  I like the words that Isaiah wrote:

  Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation. Isaiah 12:2

  Isaiah found God to be his strength, just as David had; but, it came out of a deep, abiding trust in God. Isaiah said, “I will trust, and I will not be afraid!” That’s the answer to every hurting pastor and leader in the Body of Christ. As ministers, the worldwide, have encouraged their people to trust in God in the darkest hour, God is saying to them, “I am your strength, trust Me!”

  Habakkuk also wrote about God as his strength:

  The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk upon mine high places. Habakkuk 3:19

  Habakkuk let it be known that God was his strength and his feet were sure, as he walked before God and stood on His promises! Pastors and ministers are quitting because things have gotten tough. Maybe this was their testing ground to see if they were sent or if they just went! Jesus said the shepherd doesn’t run from the trouble, but he runs to the trouble, as David did. David’s confidence when he faced the lion, the bear, Goliath, and the Philistines wasn’t in him; but in the God who had become his strength and his song!

  I’ve been blogging since February of 2018. God told me to blog. In this first year I had 457 views. I thought I was doing something, impacting people around the world with my blog. Today my numbers are much greater, but my attitude is the same. I am doing something, and I am impacting people around the world through this blog, with the gospel of Jesus Christ! Some days my stats show that I have had 2 views, and other days it might show more than 75. I know that if my focus is on the stats, I will not be able to do the assignment that God gave me. Three days a week, I sit and write my blog. Most times I can do it in a couple hours, but sometimes it takes days. Whether one person view a blog, or 500, I have to stay the course!

  However, God has placed a different ministry in my heart and soul. He called me to preach and to teach the gospel. I have seen myself, in dreams, preaching to crowds of people, laying hands on the sick and seeing creative miracles, impacting lives for the glory of God. I have seen visions of the power of God flowing from heaven into my earthly body, and flowing out of my body into His people with miracles following. I never saw me blogging! And if the truth be told, I am further away from my dream today than I have ever been. But I am strong in the Lord, for He is my strength. I can’t see anything happening to bring me to my dream when churches are so empty and the future of how we do church is weighing in the balance, but I will trust God my strength with it all!

  That’s not all I can do! That’s not all any of us can do! That’s what we should be doing at this time, placing our unwavering trust in God as our strength! He will get you up out of the bed when you don’t feel like you have anymore reasons left to get up! He will give you the greatest message to preach when you have no more inspiration left on the inside of you! He will be your strength as you raise your children, work at that job you don’t like, or sit at home when you would rather be outside! He will be your strength and give you strength, when your trust is in Him!

  Being a child of God isn’t for the faint of heart! There are not a lot of tulips to tip toe through! But trusting God as your refuge and strength during times of trouble, will bring you out on the other side with great victory and strength! The devil hasn’t forged a weapon, greater than our God! Decide today, that as He is referred to as the Strength of Israel, He can also be referred to as the Strength of… (whatever your name is)! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, hard times, Strength, trust in God | 2 Comments | Tagged God, hard times, leaders, our strength, pastors, struggling, trusting in God

• God Our Refuge!

  Posted at 4:28 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 20, 2020

  Psalm 46:1 – “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.” KJV

  

  god-our-refuge_.mp3

  The image you are looking at is the Castillo de San Marcos, in St. Augustine, Florida. It is the oldest masonry fort in the United States. Spain built it in the late 1600s, to protect and defend the possessions, people, and city of St. Augustine. This fort was impenetrable because of the materials used to build the walls and it’s architectural layout. The soft limestone, called coquina, was composed of broken shells. It is said that this material absorbed or deflected the enemy attacks every time. The United States eventually purchased the fort from Spain, using it until the 1900s. If you visit St. Augustine, Florida, you can take some time to tour it and learn more of its history.

  The Bible tells us that God is our refuge! He is the protection of our lives, our possessions, our health, and everything that concerns us. His protection is impenetrable by the enemy when we understand that truth and allow it to give us peace in the midst of a storm. The Hebrew word for refuge is, “machăçeh”, and it means a shelter (literally or figuratively), a place of refuge, a place of hope. Throughout my life I have experienced this truth on many occasions. He is truly my refuge! Today, we the people of God, need to understand, like never before, that God is our refuge.

  The coronavirus hasn’t diminished it’s attacks on the world. The effects of the virus are worldwide and has left many grieving over the loss of loved ones, jobs, shelter, peace, and hope. Not only that, we have to still be concerned about tornadoes, earthquakes, violence, and a host of other things thrown at us in the course of living. If we are not careful, we, the Body of Christ, will find ourselves disillusioned, disappointed, and fainting, as if we don’t truly believe that God is our refuge.

  What the psalmist is really saying about God is that He is our only real security in this life, not our job, not our bank account, not our family tree, not our connections! Only God!

  I’m an educator. I haven’t been thrilled in my position for a lot of reasons, but one of the things that colored my view of education was the lack of job security. Every single year for the first four or five years, I had to find another job because my position was cut. This was very frustrating. Then I begin teaching at a school where I was able to put down some roots and feel a part of the school community. After six years, I lost my position again. This could have been another time of frustration for me had not God forewarned me of the fact, and then reassured me that He had me. He was my refuge at that time, as He has been at so many other times in my life!

  The psalmist went on to say that because God is our refuge, we will not fear! The psalm continues in this light:

  • Though the world is falling apart all around us, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the mountains crumble and fall into the sea, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the waters roar and rage and tsunamis are coming at us, we will not be afraid!
  • Though the mountains shake, and there are earthquakes all over, we will not be afraid!

  It’s an attitude of trust that knows the God, who is a refuge, is there for us and is with us, no matter what comes our way!

  There are many places in the Bible where God, as our refuge, is mentioned:

  • Psalm 9:9- God will be a refuge for the oppressed. Is there any amongst us who are oppressed today? God is our refuge!
  • Psalm 14:6-God is a refuge for the poor! Is there any amongst us who are poor? God is our refuge!
  • Psalm 59:16-God is a refuge in the day of trouble! Is there any amongst us who are having trouble? God is our refuge!
  • Isaiah 25:4-God is a refuge from the storm! Again, I say, is there any amongst us who are in the midst of a storm? God is our refuge!
  • Jeremiah 16:19-God is a refuge in the day of affliction? Is there any amongst us who are afflicted? God is our refuge!

  Here are some things that will give you confidence in God as your refuge:

  • Psalm 46:7- He is the God of the angel armies and He is with us!
  • Psalm 91:9- When we make Him our dwelling place, our shelter, He will be our refuge!
  • Psalm 14:26- As we fear Him, (reverence Him), we have a strong confidence in Him as our refuge!

  David wrote in Psalm 91,

  “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” KJV

  David continues this psalm by giving us an entire list of situations he found shelter from in God. It’s a great psalm to commit to memory and to meditate on in this time of so much uncertainty. What is certain, is that God is our refuge and He is with us! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God, hard times, Refuge, trust in God | 2 Comments | Tagged attacks, Attitude, Castillo de San Marcos, coquina, coronavirus, fort, God, Healing, protection, provision, Refuge, shelter, the enemy, trust in God

• Consider Job’s Wife

  Posted at 10:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on August 13, 2020

  Job 1:1-3 – “There was a man in the land of Uz, whose name was Job; and that man was blameless and upright, and one who feared God and shunned evil. And seven sons and three daughters were born to him. Also, his possessions were seven thousand sheep, three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, five hundred female donkeys, and a very large household, so that this man was the greatest of all the people of the East.”

  

  consider-jobs-wife_-1.mp3

  A couple years ago I was asked to speak at a women’s fellowship and to share on the topic of difficult times. As I sought the Lord for a direction, He led me to Job’s wife. Today’s post will be a snippet of that message.

  In the text, we see that Job was a very wealthy man. He had 10 children, 7,000 sheep, 3,000 camels, 500 yoke of oxen (1,000), 500 female donkeys, and a whole lot of servants. And of course, since Job had all of this, so did his wife. The Bible tells us that Job was a man who feared God and shunned evil, a man who was blameless and upright; and I am willing to bet that his wife had the same testimony.

  But in one day, Job lost all of his possessions, most of his servants, and all of his children. But so did his wife. Everything and everyone she held dear, except her husband, was gone in a single day. The Bible tells us that Job bowed and worshipped the Lord, but I believe that here is where they differed. In his difficult time he turned to the Lord, but in her difficult time, she embraced her grief and sorrow. And before we start judging her, let’s be honest and say that most of us would have followed her example and not his.

  The devil attacks Job’s body, after all of these other things, and now his wife is angry and becoming bitter. “Then his wife said to him, “Do you still hold fast to your integrity? Curse God and die!”-Job 2:9

  It is at this point that I believe that many people give his wife a bad rap. I am not excusing her words, nor condoning them as the proper response for difficult times, for they are not. But I also don’t believe that these are words that sum up her whole life before God. They are words spoken in the midst of grief and heartache. An extremely devastating time for her, for anyone!

  I have seen wonderful men and women who love God have difficult experiences with the Lord. I have heard them make stupid remarks that was nothing more than their grief and flesh talking. I have heard care givers speak words about their loved ones and vice versa that was nothing more than fatigue and weariness expressing itself. And I sincerely believe that was the case with Job’s wife.

  And allow me to give her one more benefit of the doubt: She was not born again and she certainly didn’t have a Bible to comfort her during her hardship. She was serving God to the best of her knowledge, but when this tsunami of difficulties flooded her life, she had nothing to lean on except Job. And where was Job? He was outside dealing with his pain and sorrow the best way he knew how, while listening to well meaning friends who were “most miserable comforters”.

  Loss of children, extreme poverty after great wealth, loss of many servants (all who were a part of her household and probably her heart) loneliness, despair, a very sick husband, and a withering faith in God: this was Job’s wife. When God asked Satan if he had considered His servant Job, I believe He was including Job’s wife.  And I believe that just as He knew that Job would pass the test, He knew Job’s wife would.

  So the next time you see someone going through, and they are not behaving like you think they should, pray for them! Your prayers can be used to bring about their deliverance. This is a repost, but I couldn’t help but think that in the midst of this coronavirus, it would be timely. People are losing loved ones, finances, businesses, dreams, and hope. It is easy to judge them, but it’s harder to walk in their shoes. Let’s remember what the word teaches us about bearing one another’s burdens and ask the Lord how can we help during this time! More on Job’s wife next time. Wonderful Jesus!!

  Posted in Discouragement, hard times, Job, Job’s wife | 6 Comments | Tagged attacks, Attitude, Believer, coronavirus, Discouragement, encouragement, Job, Job’s wife, offense

• Where Did You Build?

  Posted at 3:49 pm by wonderfuljesus8, on June 13, 2020

  Matthew 7:24-27 – “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.” ESV

  

  Jesus concludes His Sermon on the Mount with this parable. It’s actually a very fitting ending to a remarkable teaching to His followers about life in the Kingdom of God. The hearers in the audience were raised in Judaism, whose ancestry went back to Abraham, and they were very familiar with the Law. However, in this sermon, Jesus doesn’t stress the importance of following the Law, but the importance of a sincere heart of obedience towards God.

  This parable is short and to the point and needs little interpretation. The message of this parable, is powerful and life changing, and as applicable today as when He first spoke it.

  There are two builders. One is wise and one is foolish. The wise man builds his house on a rock, and according to Luke, he dug deep into the rock to lay his foundation. The foolish man built his house on the sand, without laying a foundation at all. The storms came upon both houses, but the house built on the rock, with deep foundations, withstood the storms, while the house on the sand was destroyed.

  I read in a commentary on Matthew, that the land of Palestine required that one should be careful about where he chose to build a house. In some areas, the land was filled with gullies, or ravines created by water. In the summer time the sandy hollows of the gullies looked like a great place to build, because of it’s flat surface. However, if you chose that area upon which to build, in the winter you would have raging torrents of rushing water to deal with. If this were to happen, it could literally destroy your house.

  Imagine you built your house in a gully thinking that it’s a great place to enjoy the sun and sand, and maybe even the waterfront. You have easy access to the life you enjoy and all is well in the land. Then one day the heavy winds and rain come along and you have to get out as fast as possible to not be carried away with the house. Life isn’t fair! How could God let this happen to you?

  Your neighbor, on the other hand, built his house on the hill. When the storm came, he and his family were quite safe in their home. They continued on as usual because their sturdy house, that had it’s foundation in the rock, was secure. Again, you think, life isn’t fair! God loves your neighbor more than you! Does He? Or is there something else going on?

  Jesus says it clearly, the wise men is the one who hears His words and does them. The foolish man is the one who hears His words and does not do them. One person is living a life of obedience and the other person is not. Both of these people heard Jesus, but only one of them obeyed Him. Yet, people easily become embittered over a situation of their own making, blaming God, because someone needs to take the blame, other than them!

  In the Church, we have both types of people: wise and foolish. They both attend church, read the Bible, memorize scripture, attend conferences, and buy Christian literature. They both look the same, like strong Christians! But when the storms of life hit, they reveal the truth about each and every person. Both had the appearance of a solid Christian faith, because they both heard the word, but only one was able to withstand the storm. The one that withstood the storm had laid the foundation of his house on the Rock; while the other one only looked like he had.

  Jesus’ parable is touching a place where we don’t want to go. He lets us know that an intellectual knowledge of Him and His kingdom principles will not sustain you in the tough times. Nor do they represent a commitment to Him. Looking like you are alright, when you are not, will one day expose you for the fraud that you are. It is a life of obedience and heartfelt worship and service that keeps us anchored to the Rock! It is obedience that is the proof of life surrendered to Christ!

  The apostles continued this teaching when James wrote that we are to not only be hearers of the word, but doers also. John furthered this teaching by saying we are liars if we say we have fellowship with Him and walk in darkness. Interesting to note, there was no third house mentioned. You know the one, the house of the partially obedient person?

  If I tell my child to clean the kitchen, and she only washes the dishes, did she obey me? If I tell my student he can go to the bathroom, but he also went to his locker and got some water, did he obey me? If Jesus tells me that committing adultery is wrong, and I’m not having an affair but I love pornography, am I obeying Him?

  Jesus introduced, at the close of His sermon, a radical new way of thinking. He actually revolutionized what following God was all about. It’s not about getting caught up in the rules and being able to recite them, but demonstrating absolute obedience to Him and His way of doing things. Remember, the wise man’s life was secure in Jesus and protected from the storms, while the foolish man’s life was headed for sure destruction. Are you being wise, or foolish? Only you really know the answer to that question! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in hard times, obedience, Parable of Jesus | 0 Comments | Tagged Christian, God, Handling difficulties, hard times, Jesus, Jesus as teacher, obedience, parable, protection, Victorious Living, word of God

• Joyful in My Savior!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 26, 2020

  Habakkuk 3:17-18 – “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.” NIV

  

  Have you ever enjoyed a fig straight from a fig tree? I have! As kids, we ran around the neighborhood enjoying the fruit of fig trees, pear trees, and even plum trees. I probably ate healthier when I was younger, then I do now! Those are some of my fondest childhood memories. Eating fresh fruit from a tree is a delight that few people know. I’m glad for the experience!

  Habakkuk is a short book in the Bible. God and the prophet is having a discourse; the prophet asks a question, God answers. The prophet wants to know when justice will be served on the wicked. He, like so many today, wonders why God seems to not answer him, intervene in what is going on, and save them. God responds by telling him how amazed he and the people will be when they see what will happen by His hand. Not accomplishing what the prophet thinks He should do, but accomplishing His will!

  Habakkuk then appeals to God’s character of being a holy God and basically tell Him that his answer is a little harsh. What He has planned, punishment of Judah by the hands of the Babylonians, seems too much! He waits for God’s answer, standing watch to hear His response. God gives Habakkuk a vision. He tells him to write it down because it will happen at its appointed time. And reminds him that the just shall live by faith!

  Throughout this discourse two things are noted: God as a Warrior God, and the prophet as being in awe of Him as he intercedes for His mercy. He recalls to mind who God is, reciting His attributes of purity, holiness, and that the Babylonians attacking Judah to punish them seems problematic to him.

  Then the prophet begins to sound like a psalmist as he states, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the Lord, I will be joyful in God my Savior.”

  He came to the conclusion that He could safely trust that God knew what He was doing. (Go figure!) He knew he needed to live by his faith, which was based on God’s character and not what he was experiencing! Everything that they needed for their livelihoods, crops, sheep, and cattle would be taken or destroyed. Life as they knew it would be over. But Habakkuk came to the place where none of it mattered more than his trust in God.

  Sounds similar to today! I’m not saying that this pandemic is the hand of God! I truly don’t believe that for a second! But I am saying that this pandemic has thrown the world for a curve. And everyone is ready to “get back to normal”. They say people are going crazy. They need to get back to work, back to church, back to living! This is one of those times when I will say, “I get it!”

  But here’s my point: Though the economy is not thriving, though I am to stay at home and limit my activities, though I am to wear a mask when I go out, though I am not able to go to church or work, though I can’t go out to eat at my favorite restaurant, though I can’t hang out with friends and family, though we have no vaccine in sight and this might go on for even longer, yet will I praise Him and be joyful in my Savior!

  Habakkuk didn’t minimize the state of his beloved Judah, nor the things that they had to endure. Neither do I minimize any thing that’s happening in the life of the people who read this blog, or those who haven’t been enlightened enough to know that they should (just kidding); but I trust God. I trust His character, I trust His history with mankind, I trust His word that this is not how it ends, and I trust His love for us. Not sure when all this will be over, but I know it will. But even if…I will yet praise Him! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in encouragement, hard times, Victorious Living | 6 Comments | Tagged Faith, fig tree, Habakkuk, hard times, love, pandemic, trust in God, victory, vine

• A Question to Us All

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 21, 2020

  Jeremiah 12:5 – “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? If you stumble in safe country, how will you manage in the thickets by the Jordan?” NIV

  

  In my previous blog, I shared about some of the trials that people went through in the Bible and how God stepped in to deliver them. In this blog, I want to address another viewpoint on tribulations, your part to stand!

  Jeremiah was a prophet of Israel during some of their dark days. Their kings at that time were considered evil kings who did not do right in the eyes of the Lord. They worshipped the Baal and led the people to do the same. During these seasons, God sent them prophets to encourage them to do the right thing. However, they refused to do the right thing and continuously attacked Jeremiah as he tried to get them to obey God.

  One day Jeremiah was ranting to God about how the evil men were prospering and it was okay for Him to go ahead and destroy them. God spoke to Jeremiah and said, “If you have raced with men on foot and they have worn you out, how can you compete with horses? This is an interesting analogy, for most people cannot outrun a horse. As a matter of fact, it’s impossible! Isn’t it?

  Most people know that horses are fast! But did you know that a horse at full gallop only has endurance for about 2 1/2 miles of running, and at a trot he can travel about 15 miles? When God made this analogy He knew that! And yet He told Jeremiah that if he couldn’t handle a foot race, he’d never be able to run against a horse.

  This was God’s way of saying that if Jeremiah couldn’t handle the normal trials and tribulations of life, how would he be able to handle the greater issues? There are some things that happen as a result of just living. Few us of get to pass these trials by: raising kids, being talked about, relationship issues, and disappointments to name a few. Painful, but not catastrophic. These types of challenges are what we call running in the foot race of life. But there are other events that can sweep you off your feet because they are so great, so hard to bear, to deal with, that could be considered “running with the horses”, catastrophic; and every one don’t survive them!

  God knew what Jeremiah was going through. He knew there were things that made his life uncomfortable and not much fun. But God also knew what was ahead, and what He was trying to get Jeremiah to see, that there was more to come! I feel for Jeremiah! Who wants to be called to a ministry that is filled with rejection, heartache, and threats on your life? No one! But that was what God had called Jeremiah to, and he knew it. Why else would God tell him to fix. his face like flint? Paul was another one. The call on his life was of such a nature that he had to face the reality that he would some day be martyred for the kingdom. And it didn’t seem to faze him one bit! He said for him to die was gain! But that’s not the life that we signed up for! No! We want a life of tip toeing through the tulips! But it was never promised to us!

  David said, “If you faint in the day of adversity, your strength is small.” Adversity may be designed by the devil to cause you to fall apart, but David said if you let it, you have small strength! There’s an interesting point about racing with a horse I’d like to share. If you both start out at the same gate, at the same time, the horse will leave you in the dust! The race will look like it is over before it has begun. But if you keep running, you will find him at his 2 mile marker resting, where you can overtake him and win the race. Just like the classic, “The Tortoise and the Hare”. Paul said it like this, the race isn’t given to the swift, nor to the strong, but to the one who endures! The tragedy or trial may seem to wipe you off your feet, but after you catch your breath, and realize that God is with you, you can get back up, and turn a tragedy into a triumph!

  Children of God!!!! Stuff is going to happen! There’s no getting around it! Some will be worst than others! But everything that the devil is throwing at you, you don’t have to catch! Remember that song, “If you catch hell don’t hold it! And if you’re going through hell, don’t stop”? (Ron Kenoly) Just keep on moving in Jesus! Keep standing! Keep fighting! Keep trusting! Don’t stay there! Don’t get bogged down by it! Get up and find your strength in God! Because in the end, you win! He always causes us to triumph! Running with men ain’t easy, but if you quit now, when things get really tough, you won’t stand a chance against the horses! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in hard times, trust in God, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged adversity, encouragement, endurance, hard times, Jeremiah, Jeremiah 12:5, overcoming, Parenting, race, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• But Then God…!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 19, 2020

  Psalm 34:19 – “Many are the afflictions of the righteous, But the Lord delivers him out of them all.” NKJV

  

  The word afflictions is translated from the Hebrew word, “ra” and can be used to mean adversity, calamity, distress, harm, hurt, misery, sorrow and trouble, to name a few. What type of evangelism experience would you have if you walked up to an unsaved person and said, “Hey! I want to tell you about all the trouble, the hurt, the misery, and sorrows you are going to go through as a believer”? You will be ineffective in your attempt to win that person to the Lord! No one wants to buy into trouble. But the wonderful thing about affliction, is that the Lord delivers us out of all of them!

  Jesus said it like this, “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 other words, we as Christians are inevitably going to experience some things, but the promise of God is that He has already overcome the world, and that includes its troubles!

  Joseph was sold into slavery by his brothers; but then God gave Pharaoh a dream that only Joseph could interpret, and he was moved from the prison to second in command of Egypt. Moses’ mom had to put him in a basket in the Nile River because she couldn’t bear to see harm come to him; but then God had Pharaoh’s daughter find him, fall instantly in love with him, and she raised him as her own. The children of Israel were standing at the Red Sea, with the sea before them and the Egyptians behind them; but then God parted the sea, that they could walk over on dry land. And then God drowned the Egyptians in the sea! The children of Israel came to a place where there was no water; but then God told Moses to strike the rock and water gushed out to meet their needs.

  Job lost every thing he had except his wife and his life; but then God stepped in and blessed him with double for his trouble! The Hebrew boys were thrown in a furnace that was turned up seven times hotter; but then God stepped into the furnace and not a hair on their head was singed. Daniel was thrown in the lions’ den; but then God closed the mouths of the lions, and Daniel went to sleep. Jonah was swallowed by the large fish, but then God made the fish throw him up!

  Goliath had the Israelites shaking in their boots, but then God sent David to the camp and he killed Goliath! David was in the cave of Adullam seeking encouragement from the Lord, but then God sent him 400 men who became his mighty army! David was running from Saul for his life; but then God took care of his enemy, and gave him the kingdom.

  Five thousand people went to hear Jesus preach, and ended up staying so long they missed their dinner; but then God multiplied two loaves of bread and five fish, and fed them. Taxes came due, and Peter was concerned about how to pay them; but then God had a fish find a coin, and led that fish to Peter’s net. Saul was a persecutor of the church; but then God stopped him on his way to Damascus, and turned him into Paul the apostle. Jesus was crucified and hung on the cross; but then God raised Him from the dead, giving salvation to us all.

  You see, I can’t think of a single person who sees a trial and then shouts, “This is going to be a good one! Let me at it!” I know I don’t! But we should! The minute we see the devil prowling on the attack, we need to start looking for the “but then God” moments! It is in the midst of all of these troubles, trials, difficulties, hurts, sorrows and disappointments of life, that we see God stepping in on our behalf, bringing mighty miracles of deliverance! Andrea Crouch sang these words in a song, “If I didn’t have any problems, I wouldn’t know that God could solve them!” This is so true, and yet many of us struggle through our difficulties, barely able to believe that God could possibly loves us, since we are hurting so much! I want you to know He most certainly does!

  Am I saying that we should ask for, look for, or even desire afflictions? Absolutely not! My pastor likes to say, “You are either going through a trial, you just came out of a trial, or you are about to go in a trial!” Every time I hear it, I cringe! I don’t like trials! But I love the victories! I love the testimonies! I love the shouting and the dancing that follows every time! Guess what? You can’t have one without the other!

  This pandemic feels unreal! It’s hard to comprehend all that has happened in such a short period of time. In just a couple months there have been over 320,000 people who have died as a result of this virus, while almost 5 million have contracted it worldwide. That’s mind boggling! On top of that, millions are unemployed! Not what we were looking for in 2020! But I am confident, and I am so convinced, that there is going to be a “but then God” moment in the lives of all who can believe! Hopefully, even in the world!

  This is not panic time! It’s time to believe like never before! It’s time to trust in the faithfulness of God like you have read about in the examples above, even in God’s word! It is time to say, and continue to say, that this is a great time and place for a…but then God! Trials and tribulations that we will face may not be a wonderful place to start an evangelism opportunity, but it most certainly can be a wonderful place to end it! Whatever Satan has up his sleeve, hang in there for your “but then God”! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in Deliverance, hard times, Victorious Living | 2 Comments | Tagged coronavirus, Daniel, David, Deliverance, encouragement, Faith, God, hard times, Hebrew boys, Jesus, Job, miraculous, Moses, protection, testimony, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory, witness

• Therefore I Have Hope!

  Posted at 9:00 am by wonderfuljesus8, on May 5, 2020

  Lamentations 3:21-23 – This I recall to my mind, Therefore I have hope. Through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed, Because His compassions fail not. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness. NKJV

  

  Jeremiah the prophet is known as the “weeping” prophet. Israel had him in tears over their total disregard for the word of the Lord and him. They rejected him as a prophet, for he was constantly saying, “They will not listen!” He was beaten and put in the stocks, they put a death sentence on him, the king burned the scroll that had a prophecy from Jeremiah for him, and he was thrown in a mud pit and left to die. On top of all of that, they called him a liar. It was pretty tough going for Jeremiah. No wonder he cried! I would’ve been binding the devil and all of his attacks! Yet, Jeremiah was smack dab in the will of God going through some hard times. This was tough!

  There are times in the life of the believer, one who is fully committed to the work of God, sold out, focused, and running hot for the Master, when you can find yourself in some really tough situations, smack dab in the middle of God’s will. Especially pastors, leaders, prophets, and those in ministry who work hard to lead the body of Christ. It is often said that they are on the forefront and get the first attacks that come to the church. It can be a challenge! (This is a good time to stop and “say a little prayer” for your pastors and leaders!)

  I wish I could say it’s just them! It’s all who are committed to Christ, all who are new in Christ, all who identify with Christ…I think you get the picture. We can experience some tough days. Like Jeremiah! Like Jesus! Perspective at that time is really important. I like Jeremiah’s perspective.

  Jeremiah said he had to call some things to mind. When you are going through, as a believer, recalling some things to mind will be helpful, if you recall the right things. Jeremiah tells us what he called to mind. First, he remembered that through the Lord’s mercies we are not consumed. In the Living Bible, this verse is translated, “It is only the Lord’s mercies that have kept us from complete destruction.” Jeremiah may have been lamenting, but he understood that because of God’s mercies, he was not destroyed. That was the goal of the people he was sent to, but God kept him! And God’s mercies are available to us! Things may seem bad, they may seem hard, but He will is keeping you!

  Jeremiah recalled that God’s compassion never fails! That’s a spectacular record. God’s compassion for us, never fails. He just keeps on giving and giving and giving a love that has no end. With all that Jeremiah experienced, he was still able to say that God’s compassion was available to him. Through all of his difficulties, through the loneliness of being a rejected prophet, through the hurt of knowing he was in God’s will and yet he was going through these challenges, he understood that God’s compassion would not fail him.

  Jeremiah recalled that His mercies are new every morning! A brand new mercy for every day. He didn’t have to rely on what God gave him yesterday because God’s mercies were available to him every day, and they were new mercies. God’s love for His people just keep manifesting in all kinds of ways to meet all kinds of needs. If it wasn’t for that truth…But Jeremiah called to mind, remembered, God’s mercies were new. When they called him a liar, God had a mercy available to endure it. When they beat him up, he needed a different kind of mercy, and God provided it. When they put a hit on his life, God showed up with another mercy. Whenever he needed it, God had mercy ready for distribution.

  And Jeremiah recalled to mind, that great is His faithfulness!! How could God be considered faithful through so many difficulties? How could God be faithful through so much hurt? How could God be faithful when nothing went right, ever??? I tell you how… Jeremiah’s faith in God wasn’t predicated on what he was experiencing but on who He was believing. He didn’t like what he was experiencing, but he understood that God’s faithfulness to His people, was great! Moses said that not one word had failed from all that God had promised the children of Israel! David said that God’s mercy reaches the heavens and His faithfulness reaches to the clouds! And another time David said that he would sing of the mercies of the Lord forever and with his mouth he would make known His faithfulness!

  And so as he called these things to mind, it caused him to have hope! It caused him to see past the challenges of his life, to hope in His God! It caused him to see past the mud pit to His faithful God, and His ability to deliver Him, to protect Him, to keep him. He had hope in the God who was full of compassion that never fails, who has new mercies every day, and who never allowed his destruction!

  Did you know that if you are a believer, a Christian, you have the same God as Jeremiah? Of course you did! And since you know that, you know that whatever you are currently experiencing, what ever you have experienced, whatever you will experience, that you can’t focus on those things! No! You have to do like Jeremiah in order to experience the hope that he experienced…recall the faithfulness of God, remember His unfailing love towards you, hold fast to His new mercies! Wonderful Jesus!

  Posted in God’s faithfulness, hard times, Hope in God, Victorious Living | 0 Comments | Tagged Attitude, Believer, David, encouragement, Faith, hard times, hope, Jeremiah, Lamentations, trust in God, Victorious Living, victory

• Search for:

• Recent Posts

  • A Straight Path!
  • Which Way Lord?
  • Relying on Self!
  • I Will Trust in the Lord!
  • Whose Side Is God On?

• Categories

  • Victorious Living (104)
  • Christian (66)
  • Jesus (63)
  • Believers (57)
  • Faith (35)
  • encouragement (30)
  • God (27)
  • testimony (20)
  • Healing (20)
  • the Word of God (18)