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It makes no sense…!

So often God is blamed for everything that happens …
… especially when things go wrong …
… when something bad happens…
!!!
Yet the Bible is quite plain …
… about who really is to blame …

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
I am come that they might have life,
and that they might have it more abundantly.
— John 10:10

Jesus quite candidly said …
… the devil is the one who steals, kills and destroys!
Therefore …
Would God make you sick and take your life …
… whilst He is the One who gives life?
Would God be the one who steals your property …
… when He is the One who supplies all your needs?
Would God be the one who destroys what we have …
… when He is the One who gives us life in abundance?
???
No! … it makes no sense!

Phil. 4:19, 1 Pet.2:24, Gen 1:28, Deut 28:1-14

As hard as it may be at times to understand what’s happening …
… particularly when loved ones are involved …
… or when our country or livelihood are at stake …
!!!
God is still not the one who kills in order to give life!
God is still not the one who makes sick so He can heal!
God is still not the one who destroys so He can bless!
… Much rather …

For this purpose the Son of God was manifested,
that he might destroy the works of the devil.
— I John 3:8

The truth is that …

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from
the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.
— James 1:17

… And …

According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him
that hath called us to glory and virtue:
— 2 Pet 1:3

Look past what is happening and what is coming against you …
… and draw from the source of life …
… from God, through Jesus, by the Holy Spirit!

The world is constantly changing,
… becoming more demanding daily,
… things sre getting worse … everywhere!
… Therefore …
… more than ever before …
… it is important to know where you are …
… and where you are going!
!!!
How can you know …&… How can you be sure?
By putting your trust in Him! …

Thy word is a lamp unto my feet,
and a light unto my path.
— Ps 119:105

If you need to know where you are at…
… and what your standard should be …
… then …
Make God’s Word your standard…
… and you will know where you are at!
In the light of God’s Word …
… what should not be in your life will come to the light,
… and the Word will show you how to deal with it!
!!!
If you in any doubt as to where you should be going …
… and what God has for you …
Let God’s Word light up the path you should take.
…
You may well say …
I have read it all, but I still don’t know what to do!
… that is why God gave you a Helper …
… to show you what to do …

Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come,
he will guide you into all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear,
that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
— John 16:13

The Holy Spirit will not only help you locate yourself …
… He will show you things to come …
… and guide you to where you should be!
…
Want to know where you are at …
… and where you should be going?
Just turn to God’s Word and ask the Holy Spirit …
He is waiting to answer and guide you along the way!

… Read …
Jer. 33:3
John 14:16-18
John 14:26

… When he was still a great way off, his father saw him and had compassion [on him]…
Luke 15:20 NKJV

Chuck Colson writes, ‘When I was at Buckingham Palace… Prince Philip asked me, “What can we do about crime here in England?” I replied, “Send more children to Sunday school.” He thought I was joking. But I pointed out a study by sociologist Christy Davies, which found that in the first half of the 1800s British society was marked by high levels of crime and violence, which dropped dramatically in the late 1800s and early 1900s. What changed an entire nation’s national character? Throughout that period attendance at Sunday schools rose steadily until by 1888, a full 75 per cent of children in England were enrolled. Since then attendance has fallen off… with a corresponding increase in crime and disorder. If we fill the Sunday schools we can change hearts and restore society.’

Does that mean our children will never lose their way? No, it just means they’ll realise the truth of what they were taught, recall the joys of being in ‘Father’s house’, and return because they know they’ll be welcomed back. You’ll notice, no charge of parental neglect is laid at the doorstep of the prodigal’s father. He was a great role model. He supported his children financially and emotionally. He guided them without forcing them to conform. He gave them room to fail – and a place to return. What does reflect on us as parents, however, is our attitude towards them. Your child may be ‘a great way off’, but they need to know you care, that you love and pray for them, and that you’ll welcome them home.

… God loves a person who gives cheerfully.
2 Corinthians 9:7 NLT

A child who had just learned to tie his shoelaces was crying, so his mum asked, ‘Is it that hard?’ ‘No,’ he sobbed, ‘but now I’ll have to do it for the rest of my life!’ Is that how you feel about giving? You want to learn, but you’re not sure that you want to make it a lifestyle?

Some swallows were teaching their young to fly from a branch overhanging a lake. One by one the mother bird pushed each of her chicks to the end, until somewhere between the branch and the water they discovered they could fly. Their mother understood what they didn’t: until you learn to fly you’re not really living! Understand this: giving is an action built into us by God; it’s the air into which we were born. But until you realise that, you’ll cling to everything you have! The Bible says, ‘… Whoever sows generously will also reap generously’ (2 Corinthians 9:6 NIV). Everything in life begins with a seed. Your seed is anything that can multiply: your love, your time or your money. Your harvest is what comes back to you in benefits such as joy, good relationships, and – yes – finances. If what you have is not enough to be a harvest, sow it as a seed, believing God will multiply it back to you in the areas you need it most. Go ahead, you’ll love the results! Giving is like flying. When you learn to let go of what you’re clinging to and launch out, you will realise, ‘This is how I was born to live!’

… you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you…
Acts 1:8 NLT

When Ray and Dorothy Buker went to Burma in 1926, there were other missionaries there. These missionaries had established their own banking system and afternoon tea routine, complete with trained butlers, none of which fitted Buker’s concept of preaching the gospel. A former Olympian, accustomed to hardship, he wanted to go where others wouldn’t, and that brought him north into China. When his wife suffered a nervous breakdown and help wasn’t available, Buker prayed, read to her, and nursed her back to health. During World War II he fled for his life from the Japanese army, and when he died at 92 he left a legacy of souls won to Christ. Where did Buker get his grit and tenacity? Jesus said, ‘When the Holy Spirit has come upon you, you will receive power to preach with great effect.’ During the early days of computers, when the power went out, if you hadn’t saved your work you lost it.

Now an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) stops that from happening. God never intended us to operate using the world’s system, because His Spirit gives us the power to do five things. First, we are given the power to choose, by keeping us ‘established… [strong in... purpose]… having control over [our]… will and desire… ‘ (1 Corinthians 7:37 AMP) Second, we have the power to endure. Handling trials with grace proves that ‘our… power is from God, not from ourselves’ (2 Corinthians 4:7 NLT) Third we are given the power to overcome: ‘We are weak… but… we… live… by the power of God’ (2 Corinthians 13:4 RSV) Fourth, we are given the power to minister: ‘According to the… working of his power’ (Ephesians 3:7 RSV) Finally, we have the power to witness: ‘For the kingdom of God depends not on talk but on power’ (1 Corinthians 4:20 RSV). You have the power, so use it!

… the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.
Psalm 32:10 NIV

The most important choice you make each day is your choice of an attitude. So choose, first, an attitude of thanksgiving. ‘In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God… for you’ (1 Thessalonians 5:18 NKJV). Paul was in prison when he wrote those words, so his attitude wasn’t based on his surroundings; it was a choice he made. Second, choose an attitude of trust. ‘… the Lord’s unfailing love surrounds the man who trusts in him.’ Where does such trust come from? Feeding daily on God’s Word! Nehemiah’s wall-builders were surrounded by enemies, yet they were able to ‘celebrate… because they understood the words which had been made known to them’ (Nehemiah 8:12 NAS).

God’s Word gives you confidence! Satan doesn’t fear your sin; he knows God can forgive it. He doesn’t fear your depression; he knows God can drive it away. He doesn’t fear your lack; he knows God can provide. He fears your discovery of God’s Word, because your ignorance of it is the most effective weapon he can use against you. Finally, choose an attitude of love. ‘These things I have spoken to you… that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another… ‘ (John 15:11-12 NKJV). Love says, ‘I accept you as you are, care when you hurt, desire only what’s best for you, and erase all offences.’ It refuses to look for ways to run, and opts for working things through. It’s resilient. While the world around gives the oppositeadvice, love stands firm.

That we are under pressure is a fact …
… but sometimes it takes a disaster …
… for us to realize … the seriousness of it all …
… for us to realize … it is not just pressure …
… WE are under ATTACK!!!

The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy:
— John 10:10

Those are not just mere words Jesus spoke …
… but they are a warning that we are supposed to heed!
The devil is serious … and we must stand against him!
Jesus told us how to do that …

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace.
In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer;
I have overcome the world.
— John 16:33

Jesus said … tribulation, pressure and direct attacks are a reality …
and how you act or stand against them … is vitally important!

Do not be like Pharaoh …
He got under pressure … and he didn’t make it!
… don’t be like him looking for the blame in others (a fatal mistake)
… and fight the One who can help … (like he fought God)
… and he buckled under the pressure!

Don’t take as long as Job…
The devil attacked Job on every side … and he nearly didn’t make it
… instead of standing against the real enemy … satan (Job 1:1-12)
… Job found fault with himself and everything else …
… he got under attack … and he nearly buckled!

God knows that on our own we cannot make it …
That is why He sent Jesus …
However, it is only as we allow Jesus to overcome through us …
… that we will be able to stand against satan and his attacks …

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness,
hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge
of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels,
that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.
— 2 Cor 4:6-7

… Don’t buckle under pressure or attack …
… you have the Overcomer in you .. draw from Him!