Sometimes it is difficult for us to go through certain situations that arise during our lives. We want assurance of what is going to happen and how it's going to happen. We want to know that our children will be safe when they're away from home. We want to know whether or not things we attempt to do will turn out great before we will commit to doing them. We find assurance in knowing. We seek assurance from family and friends who will lift us up and give support to encourage us, to let us know they feel we are able to achieve whatever we try to do.
We should come to realize that even with all the encouragement we receive from family and friends, no matter how much encouragement they give us, it still isn't knowing whether or not we will be able to accomplish what we are called to do or how any particular situation will turn out - whatever it may be.
There is no real way for us to know what the outcome of any undertaking will be or the outcome of any situation. But, after saying that. there is assurance in knowing. Assurance in knowing that God knows all things. If we trust in God and believe His Word, that is really all the knowing we need no matter what situations come along.
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
Revival Services
I encourage you, if you are reading my blogs, to click on one of my favorite web sites listed on the left of the screen - Cornerstone Independent Baptist Church. Choose the live web cast option. They have been having revival this week and the messages are wonderful. Dr. Ron Comfort is the guest speaker. The broadcast for tonight will be live at 7:00 pm. If you can't watch it live, click the On Demand button and choose the date for the service you want to hear.
I have had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Comfort on several occasions at CIBC. His messages and his testimony is incredible and as always straight from the KJV.
I have had the pleasure of hearing Dr. Comfort on several occasions at CIBC. His messages and his testimony is incredible and as always straight from the KJV.
Friday, January 1, 2010
2010 Happy New Year
I have added a new link in my favorites, Golo. This is a social network for the Raleigh, NC and surrounding areas. There are many post which inform of local activities, concerts, support groups, etc. These posts are very informative. However, I have found some of the posts listed on the right side of the page interesting and yet somewhat concerning. I have made many good Christians friends through these blogs. I have also been made aware through these blogs and postings of my own blogs the many of which do not hold the same beliefs in God and salvation as I do. There is a great need for those who are solid in their belief and knowledge to be aware of the many different beliefs which surround us locally. Actually, it has led me to study deeper and to strengthen my beliefs as to what I already know to be true. I pray that sharing my beliefs to others, even in this area, will further their understanding of the Gospel.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Faith vs. Fear Revisited
I have been studying faith vs. fear for awhile now. Yesterday, my pastor made a statement that really hit home for me. I don't know if it was his own quote or if he got it somewhere else. But, none the less, it was to me profound - especially when all are fearful of what is going on in the world economically, financially, and spiritually. With struggling harder everyday to make ends meet and fighting the good fight of faith, for me, the following statement put prospective as what I should be doing. He said:
'You should not have doubts about your faith and have faith in your doubts. That leads to fear. We are told as Christians not to be fearful. Instead, we should have faith in our faith and doubt our doubts."
Doubts are the battlefield in which we fight against what is trying to tear our faith down. We must fight against the doubts to keep our faith alive and strong. Our faith is the very thing that keeps us strong and enables us to discern correctly what we should do in every situation. Our faith is the very thing that God uses to give us strength to fight the battles that beseige us. When we put faith in our doubts, we are giving power to the doubts to ultimately destroy ourselves - to destroy the one thing we have that enables God's power to overcome and have victory in battles we face.
Fight the good fight of faith. Don't let your doubts become what you have faith in. Do not give power to the one who destroys. But, have faith in what you know to be true - the love of the one who died and shed His blood by which you were saved.
'You should not have doubts about your faith and have faith in your doubts. That leads to fear. We are told as Christians not to be fearful. Instead, we should have faith in our faith and doubt our doubts."
Doubts are the battlefield in which we fight against what is trying to tear our faith down. We must fight against the doubts to keep our faith alive and strong. Our faith is the very thing that keeps us strong and enables us to discern correctly what we should do in every situation. Our faith is the very thing that God uses to give us strength to fight the battles that beseige us. When we put faith in our doubts, we are giving power to the doubts to ultimately destroy ourselves - to destroy the one thing we have that enables God's power to overcome and have victory in battles we face.
Fight the good fight of faith. Don't let your doubts become what you have faith in. Do not give power to the one who destroys. But, have faith in what you know to be true - the love of the one who died and shed His blood by which you were saved.
Saturday, October 17, 2009
Loving Others
Writing earlier this morning about knowing people you have never met, has led me to ponder this question, do we really love others?
We all have special people in our lives that we love for one reason or another. Of course we love our spouses, our children, or parents, and other family members. Some of us have close friends of whom we have learned to love as well. We may love the way they appreciate us, how they make us feel important or how they make us feel intelligent. We may love the things they do for us. There are thousands of reasons you may love others depending on who you are and what your needs may be.
Accepting all of this things are wonderful. But, do we stop to think that while we love others for all these things, in actuality, we ourselves are not loving. We are accepting their love. It is only when we return these things to the ones' who go to great lengths for us, we are giving love to them. If we fail to give the love we feel for another, the love we feel is in vain - remaining only a selfish possession that is so longed for by the ones' who give us their love so freely.
We all have special people in our lives that we love for one reason or another. Of course we love our spouses, our children, or parents, and other family members. Some of us have close friends of whom we have learned to love as well. We may love the way they appreciate us, how they make us feel important or how they make us feel intelligent. We may love the things they do for us. There are thousands of reasons you may love others depending on who you are and what your needs may be.
Accepting all of this things are wonderful. But, do we stop to think that while we love others for all these things, in actuality, we ourselves are not loving. We are accepting their love. It is only when we return these things to the ones' who go to great lengths for us, we are giving love to them. If we fail to give the love we feel for another, the love we feel is in vain - remaining only a selfish possession that is so longed for by the ones' who give us their love so freely.
Knowing The Unknown
Sometimes in life, you stumble across the most amazing people. This is one of the things I like about the internet. Although you may never meet some of the one's you may get to know via the internet, you still develope the recognition of who that person is through their writings and posstings of opinions. You can spend a whole lifetime with some people - spend huge amounts of time together and never really know anything about them at all. You may get to know what they like in their coffee, what style of clothing they prefer, what their hobbies are, but all these things are superficial. Knowing these things isn't knowing the person - it is knowing that you have the ability to observe and remember such things. Sometimes we mistake our ability to observe and remember for knowing. We are satisfied with just what we observe about others and really knowing them becomes less important.
What is in one's heart comes out in words, whether it be spoken or written. More often than not, for a lot of people, hearing is thought to be just the ability to do just that - hear with our ears only. But, I think hearing others words is much more than that. Hearing involves thinking about and meditating about the words we hear. Doing this leads to greater understanding when we hear what one has to say at any given time, meditating on it, and putting that together with words said in the future from the same person and meditating on those as well. At first the hearer may only get some understanding from what they heard, but after future meditation, their mind is capable of getting further understanding from the words.
I believe because of lack of this understanding of hearing, that it can be easier for one to really get to know another by never meeting them and reading their written word. Reading takes concentration and thought. It shows more of a desire to really want to know what others are saying because the reader has to take the action and make the effort. Most people when they read pause at various times to ponder the significance of what they read and how it relates to the whole picture thus far. They go back to it in their mind during the day giving it more thought. When they put the written words down and return to it, they first take a moment to put themselves back into what the other has written. Sometimes, even months after reading something, a new understanding with deeper meaning comes to the reader.
Sometimes we get frustrated because we don't feel as if others are talking to us and letting us know how they feel. When we find ourselves in this position, it may be helpful to look to ourselves to see how we are hearing.
What is in one's heart comes out in words, whether it be spoken or written. More often than not, for a lot of people, hearing is thought to be just the ability to do just that - hear with our ears only. But, I think hearing others words is much more than that. Hearing involves thinking about and meditating about the words we hear. Doing this leads to greater understanding when we hear what one has to say at any given time, meditating on it, and putting that together with words said in the future from the same person and meditating on those as well. At first the hearer may only get some understanding from what they heard, but after future meditation, their mind is capable of getting further understanding from the words.
I believe because of lack of this understanding of hearing, that it can be easier for one to really get to know another by never meeting them and reading their written word. Reading takes concentration and thought. It shows more of a desire to really want to know what others are saying because the reader has to take the action and make the effort. Most people when they read pause at various times to ponder the significance of what they read and how it relates to the whole picture thus far. They go back to it in their mind during the day giving it more thought. When they put the written words down and return to it, they first take a moment to put themselves back into what the other has written. Sometimes, even months after reading something, a new understanding with deeper meaning comes to the reader.
Sometimes we get frustrated because we don't feel as if others are talking to us and letting us know how they feel. When we find ourselves in this position, it may be helpful to look to ourselves to see how we are hearing.
Contentment
A happy man finds joy in what is his, not wanting something because someone else has it. He never loses his desire for what he has acquired. A discontent man finds fault in all that is his, forgetting his labor which was put into gaining what he has. It is not that the possessions of the discontented man has changed. The discontent loose the desire for the very thing about his possessions that made him want them in the first place.
Being discontent with what you have is a result of ourselves changing. This doesn't apply to just material possessions but also to relationships. Some say they have grown as their reasoning for changing relationships. We perceive growing older and lack of committment within ourselves for growing. But, growing up is realizing the fact that keeping a committment is the true growth.
Lack of committment to others results in a change in our hearts and minds. As love is a gift given for no other reason than it is ours to give, so is committment. Committment from one is not dependent on another keeping their committment. It is not a reward which is earned by another than is to be taken away if they fall short to your expectations.
The one who keeps their committment to another regardless of others lack of committment in return gains respect and leaves the one lacking committment in the relationship with humility. The uncommitted witness and learn from the committed the need for growth in their own life and heart.
Sometimes we don't realize that if we ask for conditions to be met for us to commit to something, we are not really committing to anything at all. We are only asking for someone else to commit to us.
Being discontent with what you have is a result of ourselves changing. This doesn't apply to just material possessions but also to relationships. Some say they have grown as their reasoning for changing relationships. We perceive growing older and lack of committment within ourselves for growing. But, growing up is realizing the fact that keeping a committment is the true growth.
Lack of committment to others results in a change in our hearts and minds. As love is a gift given for no other reason than it is ours to give, so is committment. Committment from one is not dependent on another keeping their committment. It is not a reward which is earned by another than is to be taken away if they fall short to your expectations.
The one who keeps their committment to another regardless of others lack of committment in return gains respect and leaves the one lacking committment in the relationship with humility. The uncommitted witness and learn from the committed the need for growth in their own life and heart.
Sometimes we don't realize that if we ask for conditions to be met for us to commit to something, we are not really committing to anything at all. We are only asking for someone else to commit to us.
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