When God’s In Charge, You Can Take Charge

The following is a repost from Tom Goodman.  Read and enjoy and apply where necessary.

When God’s In Charge, You Can Take Charge

Are you yielding to circumstances or yielding to God? There’s a difference.

Life can overwhelm us, leaving us passive when we know we need to take action. Parents can “tune out” instead of intervening in their teenager’s destructive choices. Business leaders can hide in the safety of familiar routines instead of adapting to the rapid changes of their industry. Marriage partners can find escapes to avoid dealing with what is unraveling their relationship.

Instead of yielding to circumstances, we need to learn how to yield to God.

King David went through a season where he passively yielded to the tragic circumstances swirling around him: a family rape, a family murder, and ultimately a family revolt. These all took place right under David’s nose during a season of morose passivity.

Maybe he didn’t feel he had the moral authority to confront these sins. Following his adultery with Bathsheba and his panicked de facto murder of Uriah (2 Samuel 11-12), David was compromised as a leader and a father. He was sidelined by depression, self-loathing, and uncertainty about his standing in the eyes of others. And so he resigned himself to the heartbreak going on around him.

But then something happened. As he and his loyal followers abandoned Jerusalem ahead of the invasion of his rebel son, Absalom, the Levites showed up with the ark. And seeing that holy object, something stirred again in our flawed hero. After all, this is the ark David retrieved, with dancing, as his first order of kingly business (2 Samuel 6).

And now, seeing that symbol of God’s reign, David said, “Take the ark of God back into the city. If I find favor in the Lord’s eyes, he will bring me back and let me see it and his dwelling place again. But if he says, ‘I am not pleased with you,’ then I am ready; let him do to me whatever seems good to him” (15:25-26).

Here’s the interesting thing: After yielding to God, David began to once again take charge of his circumstances! He began to act like the king we remember, and Absalom’s chaos was brought to an end.

It seems that when God’s in charge, we can take charge.

Rebuilding Trust

Once trust is broken it is difficult to rebuild it… but it is possible!

When I’ve counseled people… usually married couples… where one’s conduct has deeply wounded the trust factor, I tell them it can only be repaired one way: By observation over time.

Here’s what that means…

Let’s say a husband has wounded his wife’s trust in him. That means to rebuild it he must:

Willingly and gladly allow her to go through his wallet, car, files, and/or desk any time she wants…

Willingly and gladly allow her to check his text messages and emails any time (She gets all his passwords)…

Willingly and gladly allow her to check up on him by going to wherever he said he’d be at any time…

Willingly and gladly allow her to question him on and/or about anything and answer honestly without animosity…

Willingly and gladly do all these things for at least a year… if not for the rest of his life.

Seem harsh? It isn’t. When a person has nothing to hide they won’t mind.

When a person wants to regain a person’s trust they’ll do whatever is required of them (Read 2 Cor 7:10-11 CLOSELY!).

Actually every spouse should be more than happy to do even if trust hasn’t been broken.

Do you need to rebuild someone’s trust in you? Offer this plan to them.

Do you need to trust someone else again? Suggest to them that if they want you to trust them again this is what it will take. My by-word here is… Trust, but verify.

 My thanks to Pastor Ron... I repost this from his blog.

By Faith.....

The story is told of John Kavanaugh who went to India to spend some time serving in Calcutta with Mother Teresa. The trip came at a turning point in his life when he was seeking God’s direction for the future. 

It seems that when he met with Mother Teresa, John Kavanaugh asked her to pray for him. “What do you want me to pray for,” she asked. So he uttered the request that was uppermost on his mind, the reason he had traveled so many thousands of miles from home.

“Clarity. Pray that I might have clarity.”

To his surprise, Mother Teresa refused. “I will not do that,” she said. “Clarity is the last thing you are clinging to and the last thing you must let go of.”

But surely Mother Teresa had found clarity in her many years of serving the poor and dying in Calcutta. She laughed at that suggestion. “I have never had clarity; what I have always had is trust. So I will pray that you will trust God.”

Simple, clear and very biblical.

This life is often confusing, and sometimes it is downright bewildering. Just when we think we’ve got it figured out, everything turns upside down. Any “clarity” we have doesn’t seem to last very long. If we have to have “clarity” going forward, we’re all going to be stuck where we are for a long time.

There’s a big difference between faith and clarity.

The old song sings," I can see clearly now, the rain is gone. I can see all obsticals in my way." Clarity is what we want.

The old hymn sings, "Trust and obey, for there's no other way, to be happy in Jesus, But to trust and obey. Faith is what we need.

(Hebrews 11:1-3) Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. For by it the men of old gained approval. By faith we understand that the worlds were prepared by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things which are visible.  (NAS95)

(Hebrews 11:6) And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.  (NAS95)

 Hebrews 11 doesn’t say “By clarity” Abraham went out, but “by faith” he went out.

(Hebrews 11:8-10)  By faith Abraham, when he was called, obeyed by going out to a place which he was to receive for an inheritance; and he went out, not knowing where he was going. By faith he lived as an alien in the land of promise, as in a foreign land, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, fellow heirs of the same promise; for he was looking for the city which has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.  (NAS95)

Stop clinging to clarity and pray for the grace to start trusting. Following Jesus isn’t always an easy road. Sometimes the way forward is clear; sometimes it isn’t. But each step taken by faith brings us another step closer to God.

Getting The Most From a Sermon

I found this on another blog and thought it interesting…

Do you ever find yourself . . .

Waking up on Sunday morning and wishing you didn’t have to go to church?
Having a hard time staying awake in church?
Daydreaming during the message, or making a mental “to-do” list while the pastor is preaching?
Picking apart the message or the preacher in your mind or not getting anything out of the sermon?
Wishing your pastor would be more _____?
Forgetting what the message was about before you get home from church?

If we’re not benefitting from the ministry of the Word as it is publicly proclaimed in our local churches, the fault may not lie in the one proclaiming the Word. It may lie in our readiness to hear, receive, and respond to the Word.
How can you prepare your heart to get the most out of your pastor’s preaching?

Before the service

1. Pray for your pastor as he prepares for Sunday. Pray that his schedule would be free from unnecessary distractions. Pray that God will give him understanding into the meaning of the Word. Pray that God will speak to him personally through the Word and that he will respond in humility and obedience. Pray that God will help him to communicate the truth with clarity, freedom, passion, and power.
2. If your pastor is preaching a series from a particular book of the Bible, take time during the week to read ahead and meditate on the text. Ask God to speak to your heart before you even hear the message.
3. Prepare for public worship the night before. Turn off the TV, limit social activities, and instead do things that will cultivate your appetite for God’s Word.
4. Ask God to prepare your heart for the preaching of the Word. Repent of any sin God reveals to you, and get rid of the things that are standing in the way of the Word of God in your life.
5. Ask God to give you a sense of anticipation. Come to church asking God to meet with you. Expect to hear from Him and to be different when you leave.

During the service

1. Participate—you need to be there. You’re not going to get a lot out of church if you don’t go.
2. Get to church early enough to spend a few minutes before the service quietly preparing your heart for worship. Pray for God to move—in the pastor, in your heart, in others’ hearts—and surrender your heart to whatever God will say.
3. Don’t be a spectator. Participate fully in every part of the service. That means when it’s time to sing—sing. When it’s time to pray—pray. When it’s time to give—give.
4. While the sermon is being preached, open your Bible and follow along. If your pastor refers to other references, look them up.
5. Listen attentively to the reading and the preaching of the Word. Try to make eye contact with the pastor. Be a “yes face”! Not only does that help the pastor know people are listening and connecting, but it helps you stay alert and focused.
6. Listen humbly to the preaching of the Word. Ask the Lord to make it fresh. If your heart is humble, your focus won’t be on evaluating the message or how it’s delivered; you will let the message evaluate you.
7. Take notes. Jot down things the Lord speaks to you about; highlight points the Spirit applies to your heart and life. Take those notes home, and work through them later.
8. Don’t make your pastor a prisoner of unrealistic expectations. Your pastor doesn’t have to be mesmerizing, entertaining, dramatic, or tell a lot of stories to be effective. You are blessed if he is a man of God who is humble, loves the Word, and opens the Word and seeks to make its meaning plain. The power is in the truth, not the messenger.

After the service

1. Ask God to give you at least one takeaway from the message—a key concept, phrase, or verse that you can review throughout the week. Jot it down so you don’t forget.
2. While it’s still fresh on your mind (before you leave church, on the way home from church, over the meal following the service, etc.), discuss the message with others. Share how God spoke to you.
3. Be a doer of the Word and not just a hearer (James 1:22). Apply what you heard Sunday morning to real-life, everyday circumstances and situations throughout the week.

Making It Personal

• Do you highly esteem, respect, and reverence the Word of God (Neh. 8:5; Ps. 138:2)?
• Do you prepare your heart to hear the Word of God (Ps. 119:18)?
• Do you find delight in hearing the Word proclaimed?
• Do you listen attentively when the Word is being read or preached (Neh. 8:3; Ps. 85:8)?
• Do you expect God to speak to you every time you hear His Word proclaimed?
• Do you have a teachable spirit (Ps. 25:9)?
• Do you tremble at the Word of the Lord (Isa. 66:2; Ezra 9:4)?
• Do you pray for those who proclaim the Word to you, that they might be pure, anointed vessels of God (1 Thess. 5:25)?
• When the Word is preached, are you conscious that you are not listening to the words of men but to the Word of God (1 Thess. 2:13)?
• Do you have a commitment to obey anything God shows you from His Word (Matt. 7:24; James 1:22–25)?
• Do you respond in faith, that is, acting on the Word you have heard (Heb. 4:2)?
• Is your heart good soil that receives the Word and produces fruit (Luke 8:15)?
• Are you willing to let the message sit in judgment of you rather than you sitting in judgment of the message?
• Do you take the message personally (James 1:22)? Or are you more focused on how it applies to the people sitting near you?
• Do you pass on to others what you’ve learned from the Word of God (2 Tim. 2:2)?
• Do you express appreciation and gratitude for those who minister the Word of God to you (Gal. 6:6; 1 Thess. 5:12-13)?

When You’ve Been Fired

This is a post that I got for Ray Prichard...and thought it would be good to pass along...

When You’ve Been Fired

I talked with a man who was fired from his job in a public and painful way. This is what he said he learned from it.

1. The only answer to bitterness is forgiveness. Not surprisingly, the man felt like the firing had not been handled well. I say “not surprisingly” because firings are rarely handled well, especially from the standpoint of those being fired. Generally there are two choices for how it goes–bad and really bad. My friend’s experience was closer to the latter. “You have to forgive,” he said. But it isn’t easy nor does it come quickly. It takes time to let it all sink in, to work through your feelings, and to come to grips with what has happened. Over time you will either be destroyed by bitterness or you will come to the Christian position and find the grace to forgive as Christ has forgiven you. My friend is currently on this journey, and he is put to the test when people write emails or ask him questions about what happened. But because he knows that forgiveness is a choice and not a feeling, he has chosen to forgive and will be blessed and better for it.

2. Thank God that you were fired. This goes in the category of “in everything give thanks” (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Again, not easy to do. It all comes back to the sovereignty of God. Does you believe that God is at work even in the worst moments of life? Where was God when my friend was fired? He was where he always is, on the throne of the universe, overseeing the course of all events. My friend could not have been fired unless God had willed to permit it. This truth gives us strength to go on when we feel like giving up. Plus you learn who your friends are when you are fired. That’s always a revelation. Because people understand that “these things happen,” they watch to see how you respond. Your response matters more than the facts of the firing. Down the road you discover that almost everyone loses a job or is “replaced” or “terminated” or “dismissed” or “encouraged to move on.” God uses these events to prepare us for new things he has for us and to teach us to lessons we couldn’t learn any other way.

3. Remember that no one likes a whiner. When we have been mistreated, we want to tell others our story. And to some extent, we need to tell the story. But at some point you have to let go of the past. My friend’s advice is, tell the story enough so that you let it sink in. Tell it so that you learn whatever you need to learn. Then stop talking about it and move on. You can’t get better if you constantly relive the painful events of the past. Don’t be a whiner. “After a while, people will get bored with your story."

Good advice on all points because it comes from a bedrock faith in God. I think my friend is fine and will do fine. He has been knocked around, but he is far from being knocked out. We can all take a lesson from what he said. Learn to forgive, thank God for allowing this to happen, and don’t be a whiner.

Many of us know the words of Psalm 37:23, “The steps of a good man are ordered by the LORD." When George Muller of Bristol meditated on that verse, he jotted “and stops” into the margin of his Bible. So he read the passage this way: "The steps and stops of a good man are ordered by the Lord.”

That strikes me as a true application of the text. The same God who orders our steps also orders the “stops” of life. If we believe that, our faith will stay strong even when we have been fired.

Federal Budgeting 101

I found this posting on FB and thought I would share it here.  It does help a guy like me to understand the problem.

Federal Budgeting 101


The U.S. Congress sets a federal budget every year in the trillions of dollars. Few people know how much money that is so we created a breakdown of federal spending in simple terms. Let's put the 2011 federal budget into perspective:

• U.S. Income: $2,170,000,000,000
• Federal budget: $3,820,000,000,000
• New debt: $ 1,650,000,000,000
• National debt: $14,271,000,000,000
• Recent budget cut: $ 38,500,000,000 (about 1 percent of the budget)

It helps to think about these numbers in terms that we can relate to. Let's remove eight zeros from these numbers and pretend this is the household budget for the fictitious Jones family.

• Total annual income for the Jones family: $21,700
• Amount of money the Jones family spent: $38,200
• Amount of new debt added to the credit card: $16,500
• Outstanding balance on the credit card: $142,710
• Amount cut from the budget: $385

So in effect last month Congress, or in this example the Jones family, sat down at the kitchen table and agreed to cut $385 from its annual budget. What family would cut $385 of spending in order to solve $16,500 in deficit spending?

It is a start, although hardly a solution.

Now after years of this, the Jones family has $142,710 of debt on its credit card (which is the equivalent of the national debt).


You would think the Jones family would recognize and address this situation, but it does not. Neither does Congress.


The root of the debt problem is that the voters typically do not send people to Congress to save money. They are sent there to bring home the bacon to their own home state.


To effect budget change, we need to change the job description and give Congress new marching orders.

It is awfully hard (but not impossible) to reverse course and tell the government to stop borrowing money from our children and spending it now.


In effect, what we have is a reverse mortgage on the country. The problem is that the voters have become addicted to the money. Moreover, the American voters are still in the denial stage, and do not want to face the possibility of going into rehab.
By: DAVID THOMAS
Chief Executive Officer
Equitas Capital Advisors LLC

Why Doesn’t God Work Faster?

Today's blog is a reprint from a blog that I read.... I repost it here for your encouragment.

Why Doesn’t God Work Faster?

D

o you ever wonder why God doesn't do things the way you would do them (if you were God)? Do you ever wonder why God doesn't work faster in answering your prayers? Sometimes I do. I think most believers wrestle with these kinds of questions at some point in their lives.

Much of the early history of the Children of Israel involved following God through a wilderness on the way to a land that “flowed with milk and honey.” And a wilderness was not the way the Israelites wanted to start the journey. Milk and honey were fine. An endless desert was not. The Israelites spent more than a generation wandering there, where many died and were buried.

We are part of a culture that expects that we can personally shape our whole destiny within a couple of years, if we just roll up our sleeves and take action. We expect things to happen quickly and produce the results that we desire. We look for the easiest and shortest route to accomplishing our goals. Our culture values things that are fast and direct. God doesn’t.

This sometimes makes it difficult for us to understand what God is up to, because His perspective of time is often different from ours. As we look at what God did to deliver Israel from Egypt in the Exodus, it is easy to ponder what God had in mind. After allowing Israel to remain in slavery in Egypt for more than four hundred years, we would expect that once God made a decision, it would be a quick transition toward the Land of Canaan. If we were God, we would have led the people from the crossing of the Red Sea straight north through the land of the Philistines and into the land of Canaan. That would be the quickest route, and it would therefore seem also to be the easiest. As I noted above, we like quick and easy fixes.

But interestingly, we read in Exodus 13:17 (NIV): "When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them through the Philistine country, although that was shorter. For God said, ‘If they face war, they might change their minds and return to Egypt.’” So God didn't lead them directly into the Promised Land, but rather led them through the wilderness toward Canaan.

God often does this in our lives as well. We want to immediately reach the land of “milk” (a land filled with the necessities of life) and “honey” (a land with the necessities, but also accompanied by some sweet extras in life) that God promises to give to us. We want it, and we want it now. But God in His wisdom leads us by a different route, and into encounters with events that are not quick and easy to pass through.

He often leads us into experiences that will deepen our character, challenge our faith, and develop our awareness of the power of God at work in the difficult days of our lives. If we were to encounter the “giants” of life with only our puny skills and experience, we would become fearful and quit. Israel needed to learn that God could provide for them, regardless of what situations in which they found themselves. We also can learn that lesson. Not everything in life is solved by quick fixes and short timeframes.

Some problems take a long time to solve. Some take a lifetime. The quickest way is not always the best or easiest way, nor the way of lasting quality. God does not always guide us to take the shortest or easiest route. Some accomplishments in life take a long time.

What are you dealing with today that you are tempted to solve in the quickest way possible? What things are you dealing with that may not be satisfactorily resolved this year? Can you trust God to lead you to the best way to address the situation, even if it is not quick and easy to solve?

copied from Tuesday Morning for July 12, 2011. Guest writer for this week is Dr. Ed Jordan, senior pastor of Gate City Baptist Church, Pocatello, Idaho.