Tuesday, August 18, 2015

Hardening of the Heart

"But when Pharaoh saw that there was relief, he hardened his heart and would not listen to Moses and Aaron, just as the LORD had said."1

"While sitting on the bank of a river one day, I picked up a solid round stone from the water and broke it open. It was perfectly dry in spite of the fact that it had been immersed in water for centuries. The same is true of many people in the Western world. For centuries they have been surrounded by Christianity; they live immersed in the waters of its benefits. And yet it has not penetrated their hearts; they do not love it. The fault is not in Christianity, but in men's hearts, which have been hardened by materialism and intellectualism."2

Some 4,000 years ago, when God called Moses to deliver the ancient people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt, Pharaoh refused to let the people go. God kept sending plagues on the Egyptians so Pharaoh would agree to let the Israelites go, which he did. But as soon as there was relief from the plague, Pharaoh changed his mind, hardened his heart and refused to let the people go. After continual resistance, eventually God hardened Pharaoh's heart.

When we continually fail to adhere to God's Word and His message of obedience and salvation we end up hardening our hearts. Eventually God may harden our hearts too—a dangerous course to follow.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a heart that is open to Your Word, that accepts Your free offer of salvation, and the desire to always live in harmony with Your will. And please soften any areas of my heart that I may already have hardened. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Exodus 8:15 (NIV).
2. Sadhu Sundar Singh (1889–1929)

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Wednesday, August 19, 2015

Look Out for Quacks

"'Come, let us meet together on one of the villages on the plain of Ono.' But they were scheming to harm me."1

When Nehemiah and the Israelites had almost completed rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem several centuries BC, enemies were strongly opposed to their progress and sought through trickery to deceive Nehemiah and get rid of him. They tried to lure him away from his work and invited him to meet with them in the Plain of Ono.

But Nehemiah's reply was, "O no!" He knew their stories were fabricated and that they were lying. Just as well he did, otherwise he would have been destroyed and God's work frustrated. Nehemiah stuck to the job God commissioned him to do until the work was finished and the walls rebuilt. He didn't allow himself to be sidetracked. Whenever we get involved in God's work, there is always opposition. The enemy attacks at every opportunity and usually at our most vulnerable places. He is a master of deceit and we, like Nehemiah, need to be aware of his devices.

More often than not, he comes as an angel of light—seemingly as a teacher and promoter of truth. But many a sincere Christian has been deceived and led astray by these often authoritative-sounding, silver-tongued orators, and deceptive leaders who claim to be coming in the name of the Lord. "Be careful," Jesus said to them [His disciples]. "Be on your guard against the yeast [false teaching] of the Pharisees and Sadducees [the religious leaders of Jesus's day]."2

At the risk of being over-repetitious, when in doubt, always pray for God to reveal to you the truth. And the more connected we are with our own inner truth—that is, the more honest we are with our own self—the easier and quicker we will "smell" (sense and discern) the false teachings of those who are not for real.

So, be on your guard and watch out for phony people with phony solutions.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be a man or woman of truth so I will always have the insight to discern all false teaching and never be led astray from the true teachings of Your Word no matter how eloquent or persuasive the teachers may be. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Nehemiah 6:2 (NIV).
2. Matthew 16:6 (NIV).

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Friday, August 21, 2015

Little Sins

"Catch for us the foxes, the little foxes that ruin the vineyards, our vineyards that are in bloom."1

In their book, Living a Power-Filled Life, Bill Tucker with Pat Maxwell talk about a 400-year-old tree that crashed to the forest floor. Over the centuries it had been struck by lightning fourteen times, braved great windstorms, and even defied an earthquake. In the end, however, it was killed by little beetles. Boring under the bark, they chewed away its mighty fibers until the giant of the forest lay broken on the ground.

How true it is, it's the little things in life, which at the time seem harmless, but when you put them all together, they can cause great devastation. As another has said, "Many a marital grave has been dug by a lot of little digs." And as the ditty puts it:

It's the little things that bother us
and put us on the rack,
you can sit upon a mountain
but you can't sit on a tack!

But the biggest danger of all is found in our so-called "little sins." Eventually they will catch up with us and inch by silent inch will drive us farther and farther away from God. And as Edmund Burke said, "By gnawing through a dike, even a rat may drown a nation."

Sins—large or small—are a spiritual cancer and unless we get the cancer, the cancer will get us. As God's Word says, "Be sure your sin will find you out."2 The good news is that God's Word also says, "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."3

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, Your Word warns us about the dangers of sin. Please help me to see and admit to my sins, confess them to You, and receive Your forgiveness. And help me to resolve and overcome any habitual sin I may have in my life. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Song of Solomon 2:15 (NIV).
2. Numbers 32:23.
3. 1 John 1:9.

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Thursday, August 20, 2015

A Dirty Way to Fight

"Instead, we will lovingly follow the truth at all times—speaking truly, dealing truly, living truly—and so become more and more in every way like Christ."1

Having worked in the area of relationships for some time, I have discovered that one of the major problems (and challenges) seems to be the inability for couples to communicate and resolve conflict effectively. In fact, according to counselors, this is one of the major reasons why relationships fail.

Relationships are based more than anything on emotions. Men may disagree with me here but I don't think our female readers will. In my experience, the number one complaint I have heard from wives over the years (on both sides of the Pacific Ocean) is a variation on the theme, "My husband doesn't share his feelings with me and doesn't listen to or understand mine." Surprise? Surprise!

True, we men know how to put a man on the moon and how to talk to him while he is there, but some of us don't know how to effectively communicate with our wife or kids while we're in the same room!

However, it is not always we men who are at fault. Again, in my experience, nearly as many men as women bemoan the fact that their spouse withdraws when her feelings are hurt.

Withdrawal is a downright dirty way to fight.

It can be a form of passive hostility, self-pity, or self-justification. It can be caused by a fear of conflict, a fear of being dominated by the other person, or any of a number of other reasons. However, when one party withdraws, there is no possible chance for resolution. It's even worse when both parties withdraw.

What we need to learn is to "fight" like a Christian!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be an effective communicator, to be honest with my feelings, never withdraw from conflict, and always speak the truth in love. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Ephesians 4:15–16 (TLB).

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Tuesday, August 25, 2015

[size=28pt]Fly with the Eagles[/size]

"Those who hope in the LORD will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."1

A friend of mine has trouble with Japanese bonsai trees in that she sees tiny trees with great potential inhibited because they have been root-bound by man. Others have trouble seeing animals and birds trapped in cages for the same reason. For example, how do eagles feel in cages in zoos? These magnificent birds, created to soar to the heights of mountaintops, do they get frustrated? Are they fulfilled? How could they be?

Too many of us, who were created to reach our total God-given human and spiritual potential, are trapped in a cage of our own or that of another's making. In doing so, we fail to resolve the problems in our life that hold us back. True, we may have been wounded in the past, but God wants us to be healed, to be made whole, to be free to fly, to soar to the heights of all that He has for us.

We have a choice, we can scratch in the dirt with the turkeys or we can rise up to follow Christ and fly with the eagles to the heights that God envisioned for us to reach. That choice is ours.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, help me to fully grasp the fact that You have a wonderful plan for my life. Create in me a restlessness until I discover, with Your help, what this plan is. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Isaiah 40:31 (NIV).

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Thursday, August 27, 2015
[size=18pt]
Instrument of Peace

"Peacemakers who sow in peace raise a harvest of righteousness."1[/size]

For today's Daily Encounter I would like to use the Prayer of St. Francis both for the devotional and the prayer:

"Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light, and
Where there is sadness, joy.

"O Divine Master,
Grant that I may not so much
Seek to be consoled as to console;
To be understood as to understand;
To be loved as to love;
for it is in giving that we receive;
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned;
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life."

"Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. James 3:18 (NIV).

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Tuesday, September 1, 2015

[size=18pt]Building for Eternity

"Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men."1[/size]

An elderly carpenter was ready to retire. He told his employer-contractor of his plans to leave the house-building business and live a more leisurely life with his wife, enjoying his extended family. He would miss the paycheck, but he needed to retire. They could get by.

The contractor was sorry to see his good worker go and asked if he could build just one more house as a personal favor. The carpenter said yes, but in time it was easy to see that his heart was not in his work. He resorted to shoddy workmanship and used inferior materials. It was an unfortunate way to end his career.

When the carpenter finished his work and the builder came to inspect the house, the contractor handed the front-door key to the carpenter.

"This is your house," he said, "my gift to you."

What a shock! What a shame! If he had only known he was building his own house, he would have done it so differently. Now he had to live in the home he had built none too well.

So it is with us. We build our lives in a distracted way, reacting rather than acting, willing to put up less than the best. At important points we do not give the job our best effort. Then with a shock we look at the situation we have created and find that we are now living in the house we have built. If we had realized it, we would have done it differently.

Think of yourself as the carpenter. Think about your house. Each day you hammer a nail, place a board, or erect a wall. Build wisely. It's the only life you will ever build. Even if you live it for only one day more, that day deserves to be lived graciously and with dignity. The plaque on the wall says, "Life is a do-it-yourself project."

Who could say it more clearly? Your life today is the result of your attitudes and choices in the past. Your life tomorrow will be the result of your attitudes and the choices you make today.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to live with eternity's values in view and to build a life that will not only be rewarding for me but, more importantly, bring glory to You. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name. Amen."

1. Colossians 3:23 (NASB).
2. Author Unknown.

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http://www.actsweb.org/daily.php?id=62

Wednesday, September 2, 2015
[size=18pt]
Why Did Jesus Have to Die?[/size]

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering."1

A Daily Encounter reader writes, "I understand Jesus died for our sins. I believe it but I just can't understand why He had to do it. Didn't God have power over everything? I have looked for the answer to this question for a long time. Please help."

I'm sure that many people struggle with this same issue so let me explain. Because God is a God of infinite justice, He cannot forgive sin without justice being served. Otherwise He wouldn't be God. This means that all sin must be judged according to the moral law of God and the universe. We can no more defy this law and live than we can defy the law of gravity by jumping out of an airplane without a parachute. The end result will be death unless—unless we apply another law, the law of aerodynamics. This law makes it possible for an airplane to fly and a parachute to lower us to the earth gradually and thereby save us.

There is another universal law that we cannot defy and live. It is "the law of sin and death," which means that the judgment and penalty of all sin is death and eternal separation from God. That is, unless we apply a higher law which is "the law of the Spirit of Life," which is a God-given "spiritual parachute" to save us from eternal death. God provided this law through the death of Jesus who died in our place to pay the penalty for our sin.

Furthermore, because God is also a God of absolute holiness, no sin or unforgiven sinners can survive in His presence. As some bacteria are not able to survive in the light and die if they are exposed to it, so it is with us. In our sinful state if we were exposed to God and His incredible light, we would be destroyed instantaneously. And herein lies our dilemma.

However, God's answer to our dilemma lies in the fact that God is not only a God of infinite justice and absolute holiness, but also a God of eternal love. Because of His love, God gave His very own Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to die on the cross in our place to pay the penalty for our sins to meet the automatic demands of His (God's) justice and holiness. Christ's death made possible God's "law of the Spirit of Life"—our God-given "spiritual parachute"—to save us from eternal death.

Not to accept and use God's "parachute" means certain death from which there is no other escape. In other words, anyone who doesn't accept God's pardon will automatically die for him/herself—which means eternal separation from God, the Creator of all love and life, in the place or condition the Bible calls hell. All we need to do is confess our sinfulness, believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that He died in our place for our sins, and ask God for, and accept, His forgiveness and pardon. If you have never done this, you can do so right now by praying the following prayer.

"Dear God, I confess that I am a sinner and am sorry for all the wrongs that I have done. I believe that Your Son, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for my sins. Please forgive me. I invite You, Jesus, to come into my heart and life as Lord and Savior. I commit and trust my life to You. Please give me the desire to be what You want me to be and to do what You want me to do. Thank You for dying for my sins, for Your free pardon, for Your gift of eternal life, and for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

If you prayed this prayer and truly meant it, please let us know by clicking on the "My Decision" link at http:///pgntm and we will send you a free copy of the e-leaflet, "How to Grow" to help you in your new spiritual life.

For further help, click on the "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" link at http:///8glq9

1. Romans 8:1–3(NIV).

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“Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things,” (Philippians 4:.


Thursday, September 3, 2015

[size=18pt]What's in a Name?[/size]

"But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, 'Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.'"1

When my sons were born, we wanted to give them meaningful names. My oldest son's name is Brent, which means "upright." My youngest son's name is Mark which means "noble warrior." Their middle names are also meaningful. When Mark was studying overseas, he struggled because he is bi-polar. At the time I told him that he was very courageous in what he was doing and reminded him that his name means "noble warrior" and that his middle name, Shaun (Irish for John), means "sent from God." I also told him that I believed in him.

One tragedy is when a parent repeatedly calls his/her child a negative name such as "stupid" or "clumsy." Chances are, the child will grow up to believe that this is true, act accordingly, and also have a very poor self-image. Calling anyone a bad name is very destructive. The exact opposite is true when parents call their children positive and affirming names.

In days of yesteryear, a person's name had much to do with what he/she did. John Baker, for example, would have been a baker. Fred Shumaker, a shoemaker, and so on.

The greatest name of all was Jesus. His name means Savior. He was given this name by God, showing to all who hear or use His name who He is. As another has said, His name "teaches us the purpose of His incarnation. It is His human name reminding us that He who is God also became man. Peter made much of this name in the healing of the crippled beggar, and declared that there is no other name sufficient for our salvation."

Speaking about Jesus, Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "His name is not so much written but plowed into the history of the world."

For those of us who have invited Jesus into our heart and life as personal Savior and Lord, it is of great comfort to know that He has written our name in his Book of Life. It will be interesting to know what meaning He has given to it. I believe it will describe who He wants us to be and what He wants us to do. Whatever it is, may He help us to discern that and live up to it!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for giving Your Son, Jesus, to be the Savior of the world. Because I have accepted Him as my Savior, I thank You that You have my name written in Your book of life. Help me to discern what meaning You have given to my name and with Your help, live up to it for Your glory. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name. Amen."

NOTE: For more about Jesus, see "Jesus Christ: God or Man?" at http:///lu577

1. Matthew 1:20–21 (NIV).

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“For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory,” (2 Corinthians 4:17).

Friday, September 4, 2015

[size=18pt]God's Goal Is Not to Make us Good[/size]

"We proclaim Him [Christ], admonishing every man and teaching every man with all wisdom, so that we may present every man complete [mature] in Christ. For this purpose also I labor, striving according to His power, which mightily works within me."1

We don't have to be good for goodness sake!

In fact, being good may be our worst enemy. It was for the Pharisees! Their external goodness was a cover-up used to avoid facing what they were on the inside. Jesus did not approve of their external religiosity! In fact, He opposed it vehemently.

It can bring a great sense of freedom to realize that God isn't into rules, but rather relationships. And His goal isn't to make us good, but to make us whole; that is, to heal us from the inside out. The end result will be goodness but goodness that comes from a healed heart, and not from adhering to external rules and regulations dictated by legalism.

This is not an excuse to act out in sinful or destructive behaviors or to ignore God's laws which are for our protection. Never! As the Apostle Paul said, "Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? By no means…."2

What it does mean is that I need to grow towards wholeness and maturity by recognizing my inner brokenness, my weaknesses, and my unresolved character issues and bring them not only to God, but also to a trusted friend and/or counselor for healing and recovery. As a general rule, we got damaged (emotionally) in damaging relationships—especially when were were growing up—and we get healed (emotionally) in healing relationships. As James said, "Therefore confess your sins [and faults] to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed."3

Again, God's goal is not to make us good, but to make us whole. It's the heart that counts with Him, not the externals. If all I have is external goodness, I am no better than the Pharisees. Realize too, that only to the degree that we are made whole will our lifestyle, our attitude, our actions, our behavior, and our relationships be "whole-some."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to see my broken parts so I can bring them to You for healing. Confront me with my reality, make me whole, and lead me to the help that I need to do this. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Colossians 1:28–29 (NASB).
2. Romans 6:1 (NIV).
3. James 5:16 (NIV).

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Monday, September 7, 2015

[size=18pt]The Fruit of Discipline[/size]

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."1

"A peach tree stands in our back yard," wrote K. Marshall Strom. "Unpruned, the tree grew big and leafy. It was loaded with peaches, although the fruit was disappointingly small and tasteless.

"The year my husband, Larry, was out of work, he went to work on the tree. When I came home from school one day and saw how far back he had pruned it, I stared in shock. 'You've killed it,' I cried. 'Now we won't have any peaches at all.'

"I was wrong. That spring the pruned branches burst forth with a beautiful blanketing of pink blossoms. Some little green peaches replaced the blossoms. 'Leave them alone,' I begged. Larry ignored me and thinned the fruit.

"By the end of summer the branches were so heavily laden with fruit they had to be propped up. And the peaches—how large, sweet and juicy they were! There was no denying it: the tree was far better off from the painful cutting it endured."2

I like to constantly emphasize that God's goal is not to make us good but to make us whole. The result will be that genuine goodness will be the outcome of being made whole. But to be made whole usually takes a lot of "pruning" (discipline) by God. Speaking personally, the only time I had ever taken a look at myself and broken through some defense I had been using to hide/deny some sin or fault, was when I was hurting bad enough. I mean, who wants to change when everything is going great? Not I. I may not have liked the "pruning" process but I certainly have appreciated the result … fruit! So, if you are going through a rough time right now, ask God to help you see if there is a lesson He is seeking to teach you, some issue He is wanting you to deal with, or some change/s He sees you need to make.

So, if you are going through a rough time right now, ask God to help you see if there is some lesson He is teaching you, some issue He is wanting you to deal with, or some change He sees you need to make.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that Your goal is to make me whole. Please help me to accept and submit to Your pruning and discipline and, because of these, please make me a better, more whole person. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 12:11 (NIV).
2. Cited on KneEmail, http://www.oakhillcoc.org

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Wednesday, September 9, 2015

[size=18pt]Where's the Scent?[/size]

"The Lord disciplines those he loves ... for our good, that we may share in his holiness. No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it."1

Earl Nightingale told how on one National Secretaries Day he gave his secretary flowers and she remarked how beautiful they were. She also said that she couldn't understand why they didn't have any scent.

He informed her that the flowers came from a hothouse and explained that because flowers raised in this type of environment have everything done for them, they don't have to attract insects to pollinate them. As a result, they lose their scent. In the same way fruit raised in a hothouse, because it doesn't need to attract insects to scatter its seeds, doesn't taste as good as fruit grown in its natural environment.

It's similar to the child who wanted to help a butterfly out of its cocoon by putting a slit in it and, in so doing caused it to die. He didn't realize that the struggle to get out of the cocoon is needed to strengthen the butterfly's wings, which enables it to fly.

When people do too much for us or overprotect us, especially in our early developmental years, they can do serious harm to us. And even in adulthood the problems and difficulties we have are what strengthen us, build our character, and teach us wisdom, understanding, and compassion—if we let them. This is why God disciplines those whom He loves by allowing us to go through difficult times.

And let's be sure to keep this principle in mind when voting for political leaders, and never vote for any politician who likes to keep people over-dependent on him/her so they will continue to obtain their vote.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to yield to Your discipline and to see in all the struggles and problems of life that You are wanting me to (in the words of another): 'Dear God, grant that I might grow in faith and love and every grace / might more of Your salvation know / and seek more earnestly Your face.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 12:6, 10, 11 (NIV).

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Thursday, September 10, 2015

[size=18pt]Ethics for Today[/size]

"All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work."1

Back in college days in an ethics class, it was pointed out that any action/s that would be harmful in any way—physically, intellectually, emotionally, socially or spiritually—to anybody, would be both wrong and unethical.

When we consider some business debacles, some athletes taking drug enhancement steroids, manipulating media that add their particular spin to news reports, and some politicians who speak in part-truths that are designed to deceive, we cannot help but wonder about the lack of ethics in much of today's society.

Furthermore, in a society where we don't teach the difference between right and wrong, where moral absolutes have been abandoned, where tolerance and not truth is absolute, where political correctness supersedes reality, and where our so called ethics are based on that which is convenient rather than on what is right and what is wrong, let's not be surprised when we continue to see fraudulent scandals.

For those of us who claim to be followers of Jesus, let us be sure to base our ethics regarding what is right and what is wrong on the Word of God, and, with His help, always strive to live in harmony with the principles found therein.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me a love for Your Word and, as David said, 'hide it in my heart so I won't sin against You.' Help me to establish and live according to ethics based on Your Word so that I will never bring shame to Your name. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 2 Timothy 3:16–17 (NKJV).

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Friday, September 11, 2015

[size=18pt]Letting Go

"He who conceals his sins does not prosper, but whoever confesses and renounces them finds mercy."1[/size]

One lady I know has a grown alcoholic daughter in her mid–thirties who still lives with her mother. When the daughter goes out and is too drunk to drive home, guess who goes and picks her up? And when she's too drunk to go to work and can't make her car payment, guess who makes it? You're right. It's mother. So, which of the two is the sickest?

As long as mother keeps rescuing her daughter, the daughter has no need to face her problem and deal with it. Mother is the enabler. Counselors tell us that for every alcoholic there are four co–alcoholics or codependent enablers. These people short–circuit the natural consequences of the alcoholics' negative, self–destructive behavior.

As difficult as it may seem, there comes a time after nothing else has worked, the enabler needs to let go and stop their rescuing behavior, which is a part of the sickness and reinforces the problem.

Usually it is only when people with major problems hit bottom that they are likely to come out of denial, admit what they are, and do something about it. There's no guarantee that they will do this, but if we don't stop rescuing them, it is a sure–fire guarantee that they won't get into recovery, as they have no need to. The prodigal son that Jesus taught about came to his senses only when he hit rock bottom. The father let go of him so he could do this. God also lets us hit rock bottom too, so we will come to our senses, acknowledge our sickness, and get into recovery.

Is there someone in your life that you need to let go of, get out of the way, and stop rescuing and enabling, and entrust them to God? This act of tough love won't be well received (to put it mildly), but it is the most and only loving thing to do.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, wherever I need to exercise tough love, help me to see my destructive actions, and give me the courage to let go of the person/s I am enabling, and let them crash—and trust them to You with the prayer that they will come to their senses and get into recovery. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 28:13 (NIV).

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Monday, September 14, 2015

[size=18pt]Stand Up and Be Counted

"When Peter came to Antioch, I opposed him to his face, because he was in the wrong."1[/size]

On more than one occasion Jesus confronted the Pharisees in no uncertain terms for their hypocritical behavior, as did the Apostle Paul to Peter in the above Scripture verse. So when is it right for us to confront others and when do we need to keep silent? How do we know when we are reacting in proportion to what has happened or if we are overreacting? When someone attacks us personally, when do we turn the other cheek? Or when we see wrong in society, business, or politics, should we speak out or should we look the other way and say nothing?

When people attacked Jesus and accused Him falsely, He remained totally nondefensive and said nothing because He had nothing to hide. On the other hand, when people misused the house of God and used people for their own ends, or tried to hide their hypocrisy behind a facade of religious piety, or loved their man–made legalistic rules more than they loved people, Jesus spoke out against them in no uncertain terms.

The bottom line is our motive. Jesus always did what He did because He loved God and He loved people. He attacked evil and wrong head on because it was destructive to those whom God loves—us. Furthermore, Jesus always spoke with authority but was never authoritarian, rigid, controlling or manipulative because He always acted out of pure motives and had no hidden agenda.

What we need to do if we are going to make an impact in our world is, first of all, to acknowledge our own shortcomings and with God's help, work to overcome these. Second, we need to love the things God loves and hate the things he hates and speak out against the things God hates as Jesus did. We need to be angry with these too. We simply cannot love righteousness without hating unrighteousness.

Remember that meekness is not weakness, and also the words of Edmund Burke who said, "All that is necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please give me the insight to discern that which is right and that which is wrong, and give me the courage to stand up and be counted, speak out against and confront the wrong, but always in a loving and Christ–like manner. And help me always to be willing to do my part to bring about change. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Galatians 2:11 (NIV).

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[size=18pt]Wednesday, September 16, 2015

A Contrast of Births[/size]

Jesus said, "'Do not let your hearts be troubled. Trust in God; trust also in me. In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am."1

Walter B. Knight reported how, "An hour after Queen Elizabeth's third child was born, 128 cables were sent to all parts of the world! Lights in Buckingham Palace, the Home Office, Foreign Office, Colonial Office, and Commonwealth Relations Office had burned all night. The palace's big switchboard was manned all night. And personnel on night duty were doubled in the ministries."

How different was the birth of Jesus, "The Prince of Peace." No earthly potentates proclaimed His coming. Atrocious, bloodthirsty Herod concerned himself with the event because he thought some rival ruler had appeared.

God, however, signaled the birth of Jesus by dispatching angelic hosts to proclaim the good news and by placing in the heavens the guiding star to direct humble shepherds and seekers to the lowly place of Jesus' birth.

How different will be the second coming of Jesus. The first time, He came as a babe to identify with lost mankind and to pay the price of our redemption through His death on the cross. The good news is that Jesus is coming again and, when He does, He will come in all His divine glory as King of kings and Lord of lords. To Him every knee will bow. What a day this will be!

Jesus himself promised that He would come back to earth to get and take His true followers to be with Him forever in Heaven. The important thing is to be sure that we are ready for His return and/or to meet God face to face should we pass from this life to the next before Jesus Christ comes back again.

We do this by confessing our sinfulness, believing that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross to pay the penalty for all our sins, and accepting Jesus as our personal Savior and Lord. For additional help see the article, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http:///8glq9

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your wonderful promise that Jesus is right now preparing Heaven for His true followers and that He is coming back to earth to take these ones to be with Him and You forever. Help me to be sure that I am prepared for this great and glorious day to meet You face to face. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, Amen."

1. John 14:1–3 (NIV).

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[size=18pt]Thursday, September 17, 2015

Confessing the Wrong Sin[/size]

"Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the LORD'—and you forgave the guilt of my sin."1

Counselor Cecil Osborne pointed out, "When we are hiding a deeper sin or fault we often confess a lesser one all the more vigorously."

For instance, a friend of mine had been trying to overcome his smoking habit for 20 years without success. He had been judged for this by folk in his church for as many years. When he shared his struggle with me, I simply asked, "Why do you need to smoke?"

He looked at me with a blank stare as if to say, "Are you crazy, what are you talking about? I don't need to smoke!" He then mumbled a few incoherent words, turned around, and walked away. He died a few years later of cancer!

What I was trying to get him to see was that his smoking wasn't the real problem. It was the presenting problem or the symptom—the fruit of a deeper root! He was confessing the wrong sin. True, his addiction to tobacco was a problem but it was the symptom of a deeper problem which he apparently didn't want to look at.

The same is true of all addictions and many of our negative and destructive behaviors. To overcome these we need to be ruthlessly honest with ourselves, with God and with at least one trusted friend or counselor. Yes we need to acknowledge the symptoms but ask God to reveal to us the truth about the causes behind the symptoms. We may also need to ask God to give us the courage to see these causes since most of us, because of the fear of facing the unknown, don't want to see them.

Admitting and praying about the truth is the kind of prayer that God loves to hear and always answers. As His Word says, "The Lord is near to all who call on Him, to all who call on Him in truth."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be willing not only to admit and confess my addictions and sins, but also face me with the truth about any deeper, hidden sins and faults that may be causing me to act out in self–destructive behaviors. And lead me to the help I need to overcome and resolve these. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 32:1-5 (NIV).
2. Psalm 145:18 (NIV).

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The following is from Dr. Mike Murdock:

Keep Walking. Picture this. You are in your car. You are driving in a heavy hailstorm. You don’t stop…but keep driving knowing you will move out of the storm’s range. Remember Joseph. Remember David. Every Day of Adversity Is Simply A Stepping Stone Toward The Throne. Keep walking.

“When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God,” (Isaiah 43:2-3).

Tuesday, September 22, 2015

[size=18pt]Preparation

"Prepare to meet your God..."1
[/size]
I have read how "in 1976, Indiana University's basketball team won the NCAA National Championship, led by Bobby Knight. A short time later, Coach Knight was interviewed on the television show 60 Minutes. The commentator asked him, 'Why is it, Bobby, that your basketball teams at Indiana are always so successful? Is it the will to succeed?'

"'The will to succeed is important,' replied Bobby Knight, 'but I'll tell you what's more important, it's the will to prepare. It's the will to go out there EVERY day, training and building those muscles and sharpening those skills!'

"Whether we are talking about sports, or education or science or business or any worthwhile endeavor in life, success goes to the person who has the will to prepare."

One thing I sought to teach my sons when they were growing up is that they can pretty much do anything they want to do with their lives providing they are willing to prepare well enough and work hard enough. Unfortunately, this principle may not be true in some countries, but it was and still is where we live.

And never is this principle more applicable—no matter where we live—when it comes to being prepared for life after death. This is because "it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment."2 How tragic it would be to go through life without preparing for eternity, when we have the opportunity today to receive Jesus as our Savior and accept God's full and free pardon for all our sin and, in so doing, receive God's gift of salvation and eternal life.

So whatever you do, don't leave earth without doing this! Remember, too, that "opportunity comes to pass—not to pause." And as God has said in His Word, the Bible, "Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation."3

NOTE: For further help, be sure to read, How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian at: http:///8glq9.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You for Your Word, the Bible, that shows how to prepare for eternity. And thank You for providing Your great salvation by giving Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the penalty for all my sins. Help me to know for certain that my sins are forgiven and that I am prepared for eternity. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Amos 4:12 (NKJV).
2. Hebrews 9:27 (NKJV).
3. 2 Corinthians 6:2 (NKJV).

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Friday, September 25, 2015

Amazing Opportunity Lost

"Then [King] Agrippa said to Paul, 'Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?' Paul replied, 'Short time or long—I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains.'"1

Governor Nash stepped out of his office and, for a moment, out of his role as Governor of Ohio. He tucked his large, black Bible under his arm and made his way down the hallway of the State Penitentiary, in Columbus, Ohio. As a Christian, his heart burned with desire to share Christ with a certain young man waiting on "death row." Guilty of first-degree murder of his girlfriend, the condemned one sat in his cell, just hours away from his appointment with the electric chair. Upon seeing the elderly man with a dark suit and Bible under his arm, he thought him to be a minister or the prison chaplain. His anger boiled over and he cursed as he sent the man away. A guard standing nearby could hardly believe his eyes. "You fool," he said, "don't you know who that was?"

"A preacher, I guess," was the reply. "No, that was the Governor, the only one who could set you free, and you sent him away." The young man died a few hours later, guilty not only of murder, but of sending away his only hope for freedom and life.2

You and I may never have committed any major crime, but in God's sight we are all guilty sinners facing God's judgment which is eternal separation from God in the place the Bible calls hell—whatever and wherever that may be. Because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, died on the cross to pay the penalty for all your sins and mine, he is the only one who can give us the hope of a full and free pardon with God's gift of eternal life in heaven forever. If you have never accepted Jesus Christ's pardon, whatever you do don't turn him away today and in so doing fail to accept his offer of a full and free pardon.

In the words of William Shakespeare: "There is a tide in the affairs of men / Which, taken at the flood, leads on to fortune / Omitted, all the voyage of their life / Is bound in shallows and in miseries."

NOTE: To accept God's Invitation for a full and free pardon go to: http:///6k49w or for further help read, "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http:///8glq9

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, how can I ever thank You enough for giving Your Son, Jesus, to die on the cross to pay the just penalty for all my sins. Please help me to be sure that I have accepted Your free pardon and am a true Christian. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus' name, amen."

1. Acts 26:28-29 (NIV).
2. Source: Roger A. Parsons, Light From The Word, Spring 1992. Cited on http://net153.com/illustrations.

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Thursday, September 24, 2015[b]

God So Loved

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him shall not perish, but have eternal life."1[/b]

In a tribe of Indians, or so the story goes, someone was stealing chickens. The Chief declared that, if caught, the offender would receive 10 lashes.

When the stealing continued, he raised it to 20 lashes. Still the chickens methodically disappeared. In anger the Chief raised the sentence to 100 lashes.

The thief was finally caught, but the Chief faced a terrible dilemma. The thief was his OWN mother! When the day of penalty came, the whole tribe gathered. Would the Chief's love override his justice? The crowd gasped when he ordered his mother to be tied to the whipping post.

The Chief removed his shirt, revealing his powerful stature, and took the whip in hand. But instead of raising it to strike the first blow, he handed it to a strong, young brave standing at his side. Slowly the Chief walked over to his mother and wrapped his massive arms around her in an engulfing embrace. Then he ordered the brave to give him the 100 lashes.

That's what JESUS did for you and me. In love He became our substitute and died in our place to pay the penalty for all our sins. He overcame our inability to save ourselves by paying the price for our sins. His death bridged the gulf between God and man and made it possible for us to be reconciled to God and to be restored to fellowship with Him through faith in Christ and in His atoning death for us.2

Suggested prayer: "Dear Jesus/God, how I thank You for loving me so much that You gave Your life to die on the cross at Calvary to pay the penalty for every sin I have ever committed, for Your full and free pardon, and for the gift of eternal life for all who accept You as their personal Savior. For this I will be eternally grateful. In Jesus's name, amen."

NOTE: To help you to be sure you have accepted God's forgiveness and his gift of eternal life, click on "How to Be Sure You're a Real Christian" at: http:///8glq9

1. John 3:16 (NASB).
2. Contributed by Alexandra Perros from Holland.

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Orikinla:
. I have gone beyond and too far and you are still a baby and will not have the intellect for my insight. Don't worry. You will get there one day. God is more real than mere mortals who are here today and gone tomorrow. Go and focus on your means of survival and wefare. When the student is ready, the Master will come.

i am still a baby? Ok tell me what your sky daddy has told you so far with proper evidence

Monday, September 28, 2015

Trust, Part I

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight [or direct your paths]."1

A Daily Encounter reader asks, "Will you please write a daily on trust?"

Lack of trust is caused by fear. And fear comes in many shapes and sizes. Some fears are healthy. Others are crippling. We rightly fear driving through a red traffic light or driving down the freeway—the wrong way. Major fears and seemingly unfounded ones almost always have their roots in a past fearful experience.

I used to be terrified of public speaking and this, according to what I have read, is a common fear. I was scared to death that when I got up to speak, I'd run out of things to say and make a fool of myself. This was heightened because of my insecurity. In younger days it took me several years to get up enough courage to ask for a date because I was afraid of rejection—another common fear.

An even bigger fear for me was being afraid to love. "How could this be?" you ask. "How could anyone be afraid of the very thing we all need the most?"

The love I was afraid of was not that of friends, but the love between a man and a woman. I was usually attracted to gals who weren't interested in me (romantically that is). This kept me safe. And as long as I was just a good friend with the woman who is now my wife, I was fine and felt safe. But once Joy started loving me, I freaked out—big time! I panicked a blue streak and wanted to run for my life.

Fortunately I knew it was my problem. But had I not thought so highly of Joy, I would have run from love—again. I also knew that if I didn't get help to overcome my fear, I could spend the rest of my life running from love. It took me a long time to see this.

My fear of love and inability to trust had deep roots in early childhood. I grew up in a very dysfunctional home. I had an absentee father (emotionally speaking) and never felt that he loved me. My mother set me up to be the "little husband" in the family and I felt over-leaned on and smothered. And I also had an aunt that killed her own baby and apparently attempted to kill, or at least hurt, me when I was a baby. (She committed suicide.) I also lost a little sister to whom I was very much attached. She died when I was only five. So in my childish mind I had come to believe that if you love me, you will leave me, reject me, smother me, or you may even try to kill me.

This deeply buried fear I brought unconsciously into my adult life and spent most of my life running from love. It was this fear that got triggered when Joy started loving me. (By way of interest, some years ago a psychological test showed that I had a buried terror. At the time, I had no idea what it was.)

Many adults who were abused, abandoned, neglected, or felt rejected in childhood also struggle with similar or related debilitating fears.

So you ask, "How did I overcome? How did I learn to trust?"

To be continued…

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, 'I will praise You; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made,' and I thank You that no one understands me as You do. Please help me to understand myself and the causes behind some of the irrational things I sometimes do. Help me to admit and face all of my fears and bring them to You for Your healing, and guide me to the help I need to overcome them. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 3:5-6 (NIV).

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Tuesday, September 29, 2015
[size=18pt]
Trust, Part II

"The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"1[/size]

Yesterday we talked about fears that cause us to lack trust. Today I want to share how I faced and overcame my deeply buried fear (terror) and learned to trust and love again. (To read yesterday's Daily Encounter, go to www.actsweb.org and click on Encounter Archives in the left column). Today we want to discuss how to overcome fear/s and learn how to trust.

First, I acknowledged the fact that my fear was my problem. Had I blamed anyone else for it, I would have lost the greatest human love I've ever known.

Second, I was determined that, with God's help, I wouldn't allow my fear to control me. And, by the way, if we don't acknowledge our fear and "own" it, it will control us one way or another—usually unconsciously, such as being very angry and defensive when we are afraid, setting ourselves up to fail, looking for love in the wrong places, and avoiding many good opportunities, etc., etc.

Third, I asked God to help me get to the root cause/s of my fear and lead me to the help I needed to overcome it. Every day I committed and trusted my life and way to God, and I often quoted the psalm of David who, when King Saul was hunting him down to kill him, said, "The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can man do to me?"

Fourth, I shared my struggles with my closest friends whom I knew wouldn't tell me to just "get over it" or tell me that I wasn't trusting God or offer various other bits of over-simplistic, insensitive and useless, unsolicited advice.

Fifth, I got into two years of very intensive counseling with in-depth therapy. It wasn't easy (in fact it was very challenging), but with God's help, the professional counseling, and the loving support of understanding friends, I made it just fine.

Because I never learned to trust as a child, I had to learn it as an adult. As I stepped out of my comfort zone, admitted my problem to God, to supporting friends, and a helpful counselor, and found that they loved and accepted me anyhow, little by little I learned to trust and love.

Fears are real. I know. The Apostle Paul did too, otherwise why would God have sent an angel to him when he was in prison to tell him to "fear not?" He knew he wasn't going to get out alive and was undoubtedly scared to death even though he was also trusting God.

According to one Bible scholar, there are 350 "fear nots" in the Bible—one for every day of the year. Obviously God understands our struggle with fear and lack of trust.

I think it was General George Washington who said to his soldiers when they had to cross the Potomac River with their rifles and battle gear in hand, "Trust God but keep your powder dry!" In other words, acknowledge and own your fears. Trust God and accept responsibility and seek the help you need to overcome them. The only people that God or anyone else can help are those who admit and say, "I have a problem. I need help."

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that You understand me and my fears (and all my weaknesses). Please give me the courage to see and admit my fears, and lead me to the help I need to overcome them so that I can learn to trust and love again. And in the words of another, 'Oh God, don't let me die without having fully lived and fully loved.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 118:6 (NIV).

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Wednesday, September 30, 2015
[size=18pt]
Angels Unawares

"Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it."1[/size]

This was certainly true for a couple in Germany who, many years ago, were preparing their evening meal when they heard a knock at their door. According to the report I read, upon answering the door, standing there in the deep winter cold, was an ill-clad youth asking for food. The couple took him in to give him food and shelter for the night.

Being Christians, they prayed for this rather destitute young man. Somehow they both felt that they should take him into their home and adopt him as their own son. This they did. Little did they know who this stranger was and what he would accomplish with his life.

His name? Martin Luther.

I'm certainly grateful to God for all those who "took me into their life" and helped me to become what I am, and to do what I am doing, today.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, I'm available again today. Please make me usable and use me to be as Jesus to whomever You lead me to and/or to whomever You bring 'knocking on my door.' Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Hebrews 13:1-2 (NIV).

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Thursday, October 8, 2015.

[size=18pt]Soul-Brother/Sister

"A friend loves at all times."1[/size]

In his book, Out of Solitude, Henri Nouwen wrote, "When we honestly ask ourselves which persons in our lives mean the most to us, we often find that it is those who, instead of giving advice, solutions, or cures, have chosen rather to share our pain and touch our wounds with a warm and tender hand. The friend who can be silent with us in a moment of despair or confusion, who can stay with us in an hour of grief and bereavement, who can tolerate not knowing, not curing, not healing, and face with us the reality of our powerlessness, that is a friend who cares."

These people I like to call soul-brothers or soul-sisters. These are friends with whom we can trust our very soul—warts and all. In fact, for healthy living and loving relationships, every woman (single or married) needs such a soul-sister. And every man (single or married) needs such a soul-brother.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to be, and please give to me, such a friend. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 17:17 (NIV).

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Monday, October 12, 2015

Affliction to Give Advice

"Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep."1

I remember years ago a friend talking about some people being "cursed with the affliction to give advice." At the time it sounded strange to me as I had no idea what he meant. Now I understand.

According to Webster's Dictionary, people "offering … unwanted [unsolicited] advice or services" are officious. They can also be obnoxious. Unwanted or unsolicited advice can be a put-down and can be a thinly veiled criticism. It also implies that I know better than you regarding your situation.

I'm not talking about going to a lawyer, an accountant, a car mechanic, or whatever, where we need and ask for professional advice. What I'm talking about is when we share our struggles and feelings with a friend and they have a compulsion to tell us what we should or shouldn't do. They are putting us down in that they assume that they know the answer to our situation and needs better than we know them ourselves.

Other people have a compulsion to tell you simple things like how to shine your shoes, how to sweep the floor, and how to do a myriad of other things that are obvious to all, assuming that you aren't as knowledgeable or as smart as they are. They treat adults like a mother treats a small child! As the saying goes, "they come on parent." They also make people angry.

Even when some people want advice in their personal life, it is a much wiser not to give it, but to help them see what their options are and determine their own solutions. As long as I "come on parent" to others, advising them what they should or shouldn't do, it may inflate my weak ego and make me feel important (falsely so), but it keeps others over-dependent on me and immature. It can also play the part of God and the Holy Spirit in other people's lives!

A good counselor doesn't tell people what they should or shouldn't do. He/she helps his/her clients to face reality (to see the truth first about themselves and then about the situation they are in) and decide for themselves what they need to do.

What I want from a friend when I am feeling in the pits, is someone to listen to me with their heart, to give me their presence, and accept me as I am—and in so doing communicate to me that they care. On such occasions I don't want or need advice, unsolicited or otherwise.

In other words I want friends who rejoice with me when I rejoice and weep with me when I weep. If you have such friends, cherish them forever. They are rare jewels.

Suggested prayer: "Thank You God and Lord Jesus that You are friends of sinners such as I. Help me to be such a friend to others. Help me not to be officious and give unsolicited advice, but always in all ways be as Jesus to every life I touch—always for Your glory, not mine. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Romans 12:15 (NKJV).

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Tuesday, October 13, 2015

The Winning Team

"And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life. I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God so that you may know that you have eternal life."1

"Max Lucado, in his book, In the Grip of Grace, tells of his boyhood days when he and his friends would gather on the street each afternoon to play football. One dad in the neighborhood, a die-hard football buff, would sometimes join them. This dad always played for whichever team was losing that day. Max Lucado writes, 'His appearance in the huddle changed the whole ball game. He was confident, strong, and most of all, he had a plan.' The kids, fired up by his leadership and emboldened by his plan, played with new determination.

"Lucado makes the point that Jesus did the same thing for us. He came to join the losing team, and his appearance in the game changed everything. He was a leader who inspired hope, confidence, courage, and love in his disciples. And he had a plan, a plan so outrageous and amazing that no one, not even his disciples, truly understood it at first. But they trusted him as their leader, and so they followed. And now all of Jesus' followers can be sure that we are going to win this game in the end."

On January 8, 1956, five young men, Jim Elliot, Nate Saint, Ed McCully, Pete Fleming, and Roger Younderian died in the prime of life as they were seeking to take the gospel to the Woarani [Auca: meaning "savage"] Indians of Ecuador. They were all slain by the very tribe to whom they were seeking to bring the saving message of Jesus Christ.

And even though they all lost their lives, the words of Jim Elliot, the pilot of the five martyred missionaries, are as real today as they were the day Jim said them: "He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose." This is because all who are on Jesus' team will ultimately and eternally win, for Jesus Christ is still and always will be King of kings and Lord of lords, the Creator of the universe, the Great Creator who became our Savior.

Suggested prayer: "Thank You God for Your great salvation and that, no matter what my circumstances are today, knowing that I am a child of Yours and on Your team, in the end I will win forever. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. 1 John 5:11-14 (NIV).

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Wednesday, October 14, 2015

[size=18pt]The Power of Gossip

"A gossip betrays a confidence, but a trustworthy man keeps a secret."1[/size]

Alan Boone tells the humorous story how, at the end of their first date, a young man takes his favorite girl home. Emboldened by the night, he decides to try for that important first kiss. With an air of confidence, he leans with his hand against the wall and, smiling, he says to her, "Darling, how about a goodnight kiss?"

Horrified, she replies, "Are you mad? My parents will see us!"

"Oh come on! Who's gonna see us at this hour?"

"No, please. Can you imagine if we get caught?"

"Oh come on, there's nobody around, they're all sleeping!"

"No way. It's just too risky!"

"Oh please, please, I like you so much!"

"No, no, and no. I like you too, but I just can't!"

"Oh yes you can. Please?"

"NO, no. I just can't."

"Pleeeeease?"

Out of the blue, the porch light goes on, and the girl's sister shows up in her pajamas, hair disheveled. In a sleepy voice the sister says: "Dad says to go ahead and give him a kiss. Or I can do it. Or if need be, he'll come down himself and do it. But for crying out loud tell him to take his hand off the intercom button!"2

Ooops! Some time ago after teaching a class, I was sharing personally with a friend and my microphone was still turned on! Very embarrassing!

What can be even more devastating and disappointing is that when you have shared, in confidence, something very personal with someone that you trusted, you find that they have shared it with someone else, and that someone shared it with someone else, and so on. Trust has been broken and you, rightfully, feel betrayed.

How easy it is to gossip. We can do it in numerous ways besides verbal assaults on a person's character. When someone's name is mentioned, all we have to do is say, "Oh, HIM!" in a negative tone of voice—or even give a dirty look at the mention of a person's name. As another has said, "Most of us would never steal a man's transportation, but think nothing of stealing his reputation."

Suggested prayer, "Dear God, please help me to guard my tongue, and always ignore and never pass on harmful gossip. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Proverbs 11:13 (NIV).
2. Alan Smith, Boone, NC. www.TFTD-online.com.

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Friday, October 16, 2015.

[size=18pt]

Healing a Man's Father-Wound

"Fathers, do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord."1[/size]

In spite of what some women libbers, gay and lesbian would-be-parents, and mothers having children out of wedlock (to justify their actions), claim about fathers not being important for the development and well-being of children, the fact remains, God's plan for parenthood and family life has never changed, and the significance of the role of fatherhood (as well as motherhood) cannot be underestimated.

"According to Dr. T. Berry Brazelton, a father's involvement with a child increases the child's IQ, the child's motivation to learn, and the child's self-confidence. In addition, children with involved dads are more likely to develop a sense of humor as well as an 'inner excitement.'"2

Interesting too, that Dr. Frank Minirth reports how "a recent survey revealed how children are learning their values: 43 percent by parents, 38 percent by television, 8 percent by peers, and 6 percent by teachers."3

"The Los Angeles Lakers had just completed 13 games in 10 cities in 21 days. It was particularly tough on Dominic Harris, the 5-year-old son of Ann Harris and Laker Coach Del Harris. Said Dominic to Del: 'I miss you, Dad. In fact, I can't remember when I didn't miss you.'"4

Ask a hundred men how many felt close to and affirmed by their fathers and you will see about three or four hands raised. Herein lies the secret of so much of our relational and emotional distress. The father-wound that injured our masculine soul is because we never felt loved by our fathers. And that wound desperately needs to be healed. (The same principles also apply to women who carry a deep father-wound.)

Speaking personally, from early childhood I started looking for love in the wrong places in a vain attempt to fill the empty vacuum caused by my emotionally absentee father.

For example, in days gone by I looked for love in the things I did—like making beautiful things including a dream home. I learned to move a group to tears, make them laugh hilariously and inspire them to reach for noble goals. I got lots of approval but none of these things ever made me feel loved. In other words, I mistakenly mistook approval for love.

Perhaps most delusive of all is how, from a very early age, I looked to the opposite sex to try to make me feel loved and to affirm my masculinity. It started when I was a child. I still remember how I fell "madly in love" with my second grade school teacher, looking for love from her.

Unfortunately, no mother, wife or any other woman can ever make a boy or a man feel secure as a man. An attractive woman might make him feel terrific for a brief moment of time, but she still can't make him feel loved or that he is a man no matter how attractive she might be. A man may even be intoxicated with passion when he meets a beautiful woman and may want to marry her. If he does, he (and she) may be in for a rude awakening. Not because of her, but because of him. When his passion subsides, he'll be faced with the pain and reality of his own loneliness and emptiness.

And then to avoid facing his pain, he'll look to another performance, climb another mountain, or seek another beautiful woman ... and another ... to prove to himself that he is a man. Or he'll seek to deaden his inner pain through alcohol, drugs, or addictive behaviors and even ruin his health and never get close to the ones he loves, or he will ruin those relationships. That is, he'll keep acting out until he faces why he looks in the wrong places for the father-love (and/or mother-love) he never received as a child.

To all fathers, I trust today's Daily Encounter will help you realize the importance of becoming emotionally and spiritually involved in the lives of your children. And those of us who have a father-wound, let us stop our crazy ways of making attempts to deaden the pain of our inner emptiness. Rather, admit the true need of our heart, and seek the help of God and a trusted counselor if needed to find healing of our father-wound.

NOTE: For additional help, see the complete article, "Healing a Man's Father Wound," at: http:///9dse4.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, [for those of us who are parents—especially fathers] please help me to be the father You envision for me to be to my children. Help me always to be as Christ to them, and may they grow up knowing that they are very much loved by me as well as by You. And [for all of us who have a deep father-wound], please help me to face my father-wound and lead me to the help I need for healing and recovery so that I may become the father and family man You desire for me to be. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Ephesians 6:4 (NIV).
2. Source: Victor Parachin, "The Fine Art of Good Fathering," Herald of Holiness, February 1995, pp. 32-33.
3. Dr. Frank Minirth, "Withstanding the Tides of Change," Today's Better Life, p. 52.
4. Lexington Herald-Leader, January 1, 1996, p. C2.

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[size=18pt]Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Second Chances

"Then the word of the Lord came to Jonah a second time: 'Go to the great city of Nineveh and proclaim to it the message I give you.'"1[/size]

I think most of us enjoy the story of "Jonah and the Whale" (Great Fish). Jonah was commissioned by God to go to Nineveh and warn the people that if they didn't repent of their wicked, sinful ways, God would destroy them. Jonah didn't like these people and didn't want God to save them, so he boarded a ship and went off in the opposite direction. But God sent a great storm "to shake Jonah up." However, all aboard the ship were terrified for their lives. When Jonah admitted he was the cause of the storm, the sailors threw him overboard.

But God in His mercy sent a big fish to swallow Jonah. Had God not done this, without a doubt Jonah would have drowned. On the third day, Jonah repented and God caused the great fish to vomit him up on a beach. After Jonah repented and God rescued him, God commissioned him a second time.

Having worked in the area of recovery for a number of years, and specifically in the area of divorce and grief recovery over the past decade, I have seen too many individuals rush into a second marriage without resolving the issues that caused their first marriage to fail—and then see their second marriage and, for some, their third marriage fail.

What many fail to realize is that, in all of life (not just marriage), what we fail to resolve we are destined to repeat … repeat … repeat … until we get it right!

The good news is that no matter how many times we fail, God in His mercy and infinite patience will give us a second, third, fourth, fifth, ad infinitum opportunity to get things right. However, once we get it right, we don't have to go through the same failure again!

This is why I encourage divorcees (and others who have failed in other situations) to resolve the issues in their life that caused their marriage or situation to fail so they won't have to go through the same terrible experience. God wants us to recover, heal and become whole so we won't keep hurting ourselves—and others. Like Jonah, God will keep giving us as many opportunities as we need so we will get it right. That means quitting the blame game, admitting and facing our personal problems, and getting into recovery.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to admit every failure in my life and help me to see the causes behind these failures, and lead me to the help I need to overcome these issues and recover so I can move on with my life in more creative and wholesome ways. Please help me to use every one of my failures as an opportunity to grow and become a better, healthier, more God-honoring person. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Jonah 3:1-2 (NIV).

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Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Vengeance

"Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: 'It is mine to avenge; I will repay,' says the Lord."1

In church one Sunday the visiting speaker told how a U.S. soldier (whom I will call Ed) in Afghanistan received a "Dear John" letter from his girlfriend back home. Understandably, he was deeply hurt. To make matters worse, she asked him to return her photo as she needed it for her local newspaper to announce her engagement to another man.

The men in Ed's unit all felt for Ed and were mad at his former girlfriend, so they all gave Ed a copy of a photo of their girl friends. Ed put these in a box and mailed them to his former girlfriend with a note which said, "I'm sending you a photo of all my girlfriends and can't remember which photo is yours. So will you please take out yours and return all the rest to me."

Aha! "Good for Ed," I want to say! Vengeance can taste so sweet—at least for the immediate present. I know at times when I have felt that someone has been critical of me and their cutting remarks have cut deeply, I want to strike back and let them have a verbal blast packaged in humor/sarcasm, and have to pray for grace so I won't do what I want to do ... or at least say what I'd really like to say!

However, as the Bible reminds us, vengeance is best left to the Lord and judgment best left to the Holy Spirit. For some of us, including me, we will need to be "growing in grace" for the rest of our lives.

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to keep growing in grace so that I will not lash out and hurt others when they have hurt me. Help me to turn the other cheek, and always be as Christ to those I find unlovable. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Romans 12:19 (NIV).

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Monday, October 19, 2015

Crabgrass

"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full."1

Pastor Ed Hart shared in a sermon: "Anyone who has put in a lawn understands about crabgrass because it hides there. It's there but you don't know it. Just when you think you have mastered the perfect lawn, lush and green, and you are sitting, taking in all that wonderful oxygen coming off those little blades of grass, you see it ... and you say to yourself, 'Aha! I've caught it in time. I've got it just as it is starting!' However, as you begin to remove the crabgrass, you realize it's been there all the time—forever!

"Just when we think we're doing great in the Christian life ... we discover something about ourselves that C.S. Lewis understood very well. In his book, Screwtape Letters, (a book of imagined correspondence between a major devil and his nephew, Wormwood, a junior devil), he writes the following to Wormwood, about humility:

"I see only one thing to do at the moment—as your patient (a young Christian) has become humble. Have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is especially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, 'By Jove, I'm being humble!' And almost immediately pride, pride at his own humility, will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt. Through as many stages as you please, but don't try this too long for fear you will awaken his sense of humor and proportion. In which case he will merely laugh at you and go to bed."

"Lewis caught it. It is so easy to become puffed up about our own goodness, our good deeds, and our self-righteousness, and to take pride in it—and it's the crabgrass of our soul that sneaks in there. Jesus warned us not to be like the hypocrites who do all for an outward show, and not to take ourselves too seriously. What we do should not be for appearance sake. But when we see 'the crabgrass of pride' poking up its ugly head, recognize it for what it is. Dismiss it. Laugh at yourself and go to bed."2

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to purify my motives and do good deeds because I love You and those whom You love. I admit that I need much help to do this. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Matthew 6:1-2 (NIV).
2. Edgar P. Hart, in his sermon, "Not All Is What It Seems." First Presbyterian Church of Napa, California. May 12, 2002.

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Thursday, October 22, 2015

[size=18pt]Hiding from God

"O Lord, you have searched me and you know me…. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, 'Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,' even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well."1[/size]

You may have read about the strict professor (supposedly at the University of California) who was extremely rigid with his students. In reminding them about their final exam for the course he was teaching, he said they were not to begin their test until he told them exactly when they were to commence, and after exactly one hour they were to finish precisely at the time he said they were to stop, and immediately bring their test and place it on the front desk as they left the class room. If they failed to follow his instructions precisely, he would fail them.

So … at the final exam all the students followed the professor's instructions exactly as he demanded—except for one student who kept writing after they were told to stop. The professor demanded that he stop writing, but he didn't. He just kept working on his final exam. When he was finished, he brought his test to the front desk where the furious professor was sitting.

"Why didn't you follow my instructions?" the professor demanded.

"Because I needed more time," the student replied.

"Don't you know I am going to fail you? What is your name?"

"You mean you don't know my name?" the student replied.

"How could I?" the professor barked, "I have 400 students in this class!"

"Good," said the student as he slipped his test into the pile of 399 other examination papers on the professor's desk—and walked out of the room!

In this life we can hide all sorts of things from all sorts of people, but we can never hide from God. He sees all. He knows all. And He loves and accepts us anyhow. But we can also be sure that, unless forgiven, our sins will find us out—even if it is eventually!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, thank You that I can never hide from You, that You know all about me, and that You always know where I am and what I am doing. Help me to so live that I will never need to be afraid of Your seeing me, and help me to take comfort in the fact that no matter what circumstances I am in, You will never leave me nor forsake me. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Psalm 139:1, 7-14 (NIV).

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Monday, October 26, 2015

[size=18pt]Character Counts

"Not only so, but we also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope."1[/size]

Interestingly enough, where I grew up (quite a few years ago now), in our grade school English classes every story we read had a moral, and over the door of every class room was written a motto such as, "Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with your might,"2 that was quoted from the Bible. We were also taught the importance of keeping one's word. In fact, a man's word was his honor. It was a mark of character!

Furthermore, every week during school hours students had to attend a religious instruction class of their choice. One had to have a letter from one's parents if he/she were to be excused from attending.

But where have those values gone today? Cheating in school is the norm for far too many students. Recently we heard on TV how one teacher failed a student whom she caught cheating on her final exam. The cheater's parents were so outraged that this teacher was forced to resign! Teaching at Harvard Business School several years ago, Chuck Colson noted that the students didn't have a clue about ethics. Hence we reap results such as the Enron debacle. And millions, at least in the Western world, are spending millions every year on getting rid of wrinkles and the like because they are much more concerned with their external image and appearance than inner character.

It seems for many that we have forgotten that character counts!

According to Michael Josephson's organization, Character Counts, "The Six Pillars of Character are: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, and citizenship," to which we could add a seventh, personal honesty.

Don Johnson, author and producer of "Afterglow," wrote, "Financier J. P. Morgan once commented that a man's best collateral is his character. Alfred Armand Montapert said, 'Reputation is what folks think you are. Personality is what you seem to be. Character is what you really are.' House Speaker, Jim Wright, upon his resignation, quoted Horace Greely who stated, 'Fame is a vapor, popularity an accident, riches take wings, those who cheer today may curse tomorrow, only one thing endures—character.' Charles Spurgeon wrote, 'A good character is the best tombstone. Those who loved you, and were helped by you, will remember you when forget-me-nots are withered. Carve your name on hearts, and not on marble.'

"Someone has said 'character is what you'd do if you knew no one would ever find out.' I like Samuel Smiles words, 'Sow a thought and you reap an act, sow an act and you reap a habit; sow a habit and you reap a character, sow a character and you reap a destiny.'"3

Whether we believe it or not, character does count—for time and, if you are a Christian, for eternity!

Suggested prayer: "Dear God, please help me to always remember that character counts and help me to so live that my life will always bring glory and praise to Your name. Thank You for hearing and answering my prayer. Gratefully, in Jesus's name, amen."

1. Romans 5:3-4 (NIV).
2. Ecclesiastes 9:10.
3. Afterglow, www.afterglow.org

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