92. Give To Be Financially Secure. Psalm 37:21

When you have truly learned, absorbed and taken on board this lesson you will be well on your way to having a relationship with God similar to that which Abraham, Joseph, Mary Magdalene and The Apostles had with Jesus their God. Our desire for financial security can discourage us from giving. Because each dollar we give away feels like it’s no longer available for our protection. But in reality, the opposite is true. Your sense of security and freedom actually increases when you give, because your giving is in reality a declaration that your security rests some place other than the bank or your own earning capacity. Giving is an act of confidence in God, and it’s the only way to overcome financial insecurity. Think of all the things in life over which you have little or no control. Illness, accidents, loss of job, economic conditions, floods, earthquakes etc. No wonder people are insecure! They live bound, fenced and boarded by insecurity. The Bible says “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty. A generous person will prosper; Whoever refreshes others will be refreshed.”(Proverbs 11:24-25) To the rational mind it sounds counter-intuitive, but to the kingdom mind it makes good sense. Paul writes; “A few seeds make a small harvest, but a lot of seeds make a large harvest.” think about it this way, if you and your neighbour both were planting a lawn, and you were skimpy with the seed, while your neighbour was lavish with his seed, you would get a patchy, thin lawn. It all depended on how generously each of you scattered your seed. Generosity always brings a bigger harvest. Paul says each of you must make up your own mind as to how much you give. But don’t feel sorry that you must give, also don’t feel you are forced to give. God loves people who give generously from their hearts with genuine love, if genuine love is not there, you are better off not giving at all. (a.) Because it’s giving under perceived compulsion, and (b.) You will think God doesn’t love you or will punish you if you don’t. Neither of those can or will happen, but you probably wont get the rewards attached to genuine, generosity. “God can bless you with everything you need, and you will always have enough to do all kinds of good things for others” says Paul (2 Corinthians 9:6-8). If you give generously. In your hand a dollar will never be worth more than a dollar. But when you sow it into God’s Kingdom, it begins a harvest you can reap when you have a need. Giving is truly the key to financial success. Remember, God wont ask you for what you don’t have, but sometimes He will ask you for the thing you really want to keep. Why? To see if there is anything you value or depend on more than Him Abraham was tested like nobody else! But he passed the test and was blessed. Imagine God says to you “Take now your son, your only son… whom you love, and go to the land of Moriah, and offer him there as a burnt offering on one of the mountains of which I shall tell you”(Genesis 22:2). Can you envision the questions that would swirl through your mind? Little wonder why Abraham was called the “Friend of God” (James 2:23).And spiritual Father of those who believe (Romans 4:L11) And when that test was over, God said this; “Because you have done this thing, and not withheld...your only son… I will bless you and...multiply your descendents as the stars of Heaven and as the sand is on the seashore. And in your seed all the nations of the earth will be blessed because you have obeyed my voice.” (Genesis 22:16-18) So what is God asking of you? Are you wrestling with it? Are you withholding what He wants, or are you all in? Isaac was the hardest seed Abraham ever had to sow. But that seed produced a harvest of blessing greater than anything Abraham ever thought possible. When you say yes to God, you will experience a whole new level of blessing to your life. Try it and see. In (Romans 8:32) The Bible says, “He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things.” One author gives this analogy. Suppose a man comes across a child being beaten up by a gang of thugs. He dashes into the mob, rescues the boy and takes him to hospital where the youngster is nursed back to health. He learns the child is an orphan; he pays for the treatment and adopts him as his own. Gives him his name and takes him home. One night months later the Father hears his son sobbing into his pillow. He goes to him and asks about the tears. “I’m worried daddy about tomorrow, Where will I get food to eat? How am I going to buy cloths to stay warm? And where will I sleep?” The Father was sad and rightfully troubled, “Haven’t I shown you? Don’t you understand? I risked my life to save you, I gave my money to treat you, you wear my name I’ve called you my son. Would I do all that and then not meet your needs?” Be honest now think, did God do all that, so you would fret? Would He teach you to walk just to watch you fall? Would He be nailed to that cross for your sins and then disregard your prayers? Come on! Is Scripture teasing us when it says in (Psalm 91:11) “He has put His Angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go.” You know better, don’t you?... So stop worrying and stand securely on His promise that “He will graciously give us all things.” Our attitude in giving plays a big part in exercising our faith. When we give with the thought of helping others and pleasing God. Then, when God blesses us with gifts, He reminds us that because we gave and blessed others, now He is blessing us; and this helps to deepen our relationship with Him and hear His voice more clearly, why? Because one more barrier to our relationship with Him has been lifted. We are saying to God “I put nothing before you In my life, not even my money.” Slowly you will learn to be completely dependant on God and His security for your life. That is a wonderfully freeing experience. Because you will lack nothing, yet have everything. One day will you wish you had given more. The film “Schindler’s List” Tells of one man’s efforts to make the most of a desperate situation. As the director of a munitions factory in Poland. Oscar Schindler used his position to save many Jewish lives, by employing them in his factory, thus rescuing them from the gas chambers. However keeping them employed was costly, little by little he liquidated his personal property to keep his business afloat. At the end of the story the Nazis are defeated, and the full impact of Schindler”s efforts is revealed. As the dead are counted and the living stagger back to freedom. In one scene, Kneeling by the railway tracks that had carried thousands to their deaths, Schindler had a startling realisation he could have saved a few more! Overwhelmed with regret, he remembers keeping the few personal assets he still owned. If only he’d have known when the war would end, he would have done more. Now it was too late. Oscar schindler is credited with saving more Jews in World War 11 than any other single person. But interestingly all he could think of was what he didn’t do. He wished he had done more. A powerful lesson in Schindler’s story is this:- Even joyful givers will look back and wish they had done more, there are also others who gave less than they could have, or who never gave at all. Imagine their thoughts as they stand before God, giving an account of how they used their resources to be rewarded accordingly. “God loves a cheerful giver” So perhaps we should ask God to show us how much and where to give, also to make us cheerful givers. Thank you for reading How financial security can and will be achieved when we sow our finances into God’s Kingdom. Please talk to Him about this very important subject. Asking for the guidance of The Holy Spirit Always remembering Almighty God is never outdone in generosity. God Bless our giving. Phaline.

91. 4 KEYS TO ANSWERED PRAYER. Psalm 37:8.

Just as the right key opens the right door, there are Scriptural principles that act as keys in prayer; Let us take a look at them.. 1. FAITH, In the book of Hebrews (11:6) we read “Without Faith no one can please God. We must believe that God is real and that He rewards everyone who searches for Him” God doesn’t necessarily respond to your need. Look around and you will see that everyone of us have unmet needs. So what does God respond to? Your Faith! But beware; Satan will fill your mind with doubts. And when he does, you need to examine your heart and see what it says. You can believe God’s word in your heart, even when your mind questions it. So stand on what’s in your heart , instead of what’s in your head. Sometimes doubts begin with distraction. When you are distracted from God’s promises, you start to doubt. And that makes you focus more and more on your problem and your faith begins to waver and get less and less. When that happens, you have to refocus like a laser on God’s promises and just merely glance at your problem, don’t try to deny it just don’t give it undue attention According to James (1:6-8) “When you ask for something, you must have faith and not doubt. Anyone who doubts is like an ocean wave tossed around in a storm. If you are that kind of person, you can’t make up your mind, and you surely can’t be trusted. So don’t expect The Lord to give you anything at all.” Stay anchored to God’s Word and don’t drift all over the place especially when your circumstances begin to change. 2. KNOWING GOD’S WILL: John writes; (John 5:14-15) “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: That if we ask anything according to His Will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us – whatever we ask – we know that we have what we asked of Him”. Now, one of the surest ways of knowing you are praying according to His will, is to pray according to His word. Use the Scriptures to back-up what you are praying for. Say “Lord, You promised in your Word and I am believing you for it.” Sometimes there are things we want to pray for, but we are not sure whether those things are God’s will for us or not, in that case we need to ask God to give it to us only if it is His will for us, and to help us to be satisfied with His decision. Saint Augustine prayed “Lord grant that I may do Thy will as if it were my will, so that You may do my will, as if it were Thy will.” D. L. Moody put it this way: “Spread your petition before God, and say “Thy Will, not mine, be done.” The sweetest lesson I have learned in God’s school is to let Him choose for me. There will be times you will have to wait, because God’s timing is part of His will, be patient it will happen. You may not see it yet, but God has promised and it’s on the way. Now, remember if He doesn’t give you what you asked for, He will give you something better when and while you walk in faith and keep a good attitude 3. RIGHT MOTIVES: The reason you pray is much more important than the words you say, The reason is the why behind the what. Having a pure heart that loves God and loves people is always acceptable to the Lord. On the other hand, selfishness, revenge and manipulation are unacceptable to God, also control, jealousy and pride are unacceptable to Him, and praying to win the lottery isn’t acceptable to him either, in fact anything that is selfishly based or motivated is not acceptable. Somebody once asked a little boy if he said his prayers every night. He thought about it for a second then replied “No, some nights I don’t need anything.” Does that sound familiar? Think about it! The first and foremost reason for praying is to develop an intimate relationship with God. To achieve that, I personally believe, we must be in constant communication with Him. prayer is the fuel that maintains that communication and relationship through every hour of every day, How long do you think your marriage would last if you only came home to collect your clean laundry, or a home cooked meal and a little loving, not long eh! The same principal applies to prayer. Jesus said in (John 15:7) “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, you will ask whatever you desire, and it will be done for you.” Take note of that little word (IF) that whole verse is predicated on it. If you focus on abiding in Christ, you will get a response to your request. If you don’t Your expectations may be flawed. God will go as far as you want with you, because he knows that without Him we can do nothing, that’s why He must be the silent listener included in our every conversation and the unseen guest at our every meal. That’s what a prayer relationship with God is all about, there should be no place in your life where you can’t take Him, no friends or acquaintances that don’t know that you belong to Him and will not be part of anything that is contrary to His will. James writes in chapter 4, verse 3 “Your prayers are not answered, because you pray just for selfish reasons” The truth is we are innately self centred, that’s why we need to purify our hearts on a regular bases – which calls for the examining of our motives. That may be painful at first, but you must do it if you want to see your prayers answered. 4. BOLDNESS: Boldness at least in this case, isn’t arrogance, presumption or a sense of entitlement. It’s confidence in who you are in Christ. Paul writes in (Hebrews 4:16) Let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive His mercy and we will find His grace to help us when we need it most.” As God’s redeemed child you have the right to approach Him at anytime. Understand that and it will enables you to overcome Satan’s attempts to make you feel unworthy, It will removes your natural inclination to say, “I know God can do it, but it’s hard to believe God will do it for me.” That’s how we all think when we feel unworthy. But the wonderful truth is – Jesus has made you and me worthy, see (1 Colossians 12)! Note also “We will find grace to help us when we need it most.” And grace is simply undeserved favour. That means God will give you what you don’t deserve when you are confident enough to ask Him for it, plus, you are asking in Jesus name not your own. By doing so you are presenting to the Father all that Jesus is, not all that you are. And here is another thought: When you have hidden sin in your heart, you are unable to pray with confidence, Unconfessed sin, locks you in and shuts God out; see (Psalm 66:18). But the Good News is, when you ask God to reveal your sin, He will, and when He does, you must deal with it if you want to keep the lines of communication open. If God reminds you of a situation when you didn’t do the right thing, Don’t try to sweep it under the rug, acknowledge it and receive His forgiveness and then you can pray with confidence. Thank you for reading these thoughts on “Answered Prayer”. God does answer prayer. This is achievable and can be done. My family, even my parents family and siblings can testify to the many, many miracles God has performed for us through prayer. We have survived 2 World Wars, a huge famine, the break-up of our berth country and being brought safely to a new land, where a fifth generation is now flourishing. And all that by abiding in Him through Faith and trusting prayer. Thank you Lord. God Bless. Phaline.

90. WHEN WE DIE. Job 14:14.

After AD 616, The first Christian Missionaries came to the courts of King Edwin in Northumbria in England. When they presented the Gospel. The King listened; then consulted his advisors. One Nobleman said; “Life is like a banquet hall. Inside is light, and warm with feasting, but outside is cold and dark. A sparrow flies in through a window at one end...and out through a window at the other end. That’s what life is like. At birth we emerge from the unknown, and for a while we are here...reasonably comfortable and happy, but then we fly out into the cold...dark … unknown future. Can this new religion … lighten that darkness for us.?” We who believe in the resurrection can answer, “YES!” a faulty heartbeat, a malignant cell or tragic accident can end life as we know it. But that’s not the end. And unless you believe that, here is what you are left with, from Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians (15:17-20) ”And if Christ has not been raised, then your faith has nothing to it, you are still guilty of your sins. And those in Christ who have already died are lost. If our hope in Christ is for this life only, we should be pitied more than anyone else in the world. But Christ has truly been raised from the dead – the first one and proof that those who sleep in death will also be raised. For the believer, the end of life on earth is the beginning of a Glorious life with Christ in Heaven. When you die, you simply leave a lesser form of life, and enter a greater one. Consider the first law of thermodynamics; neither energy, (Like your soul or spirit) nor matter, (as in your body) can be destroyed. They can be transformed into other forms, but they can’t be annihilated. Burris Jenkins said it this way; “No single atom in creation can go out of existence, according to the scientists, it only changes in form. We cannot burn up anything, we can only change its state from solid to a gaseous state. Neither is any energy or force ever destroyed; It is only changed from one form to another.” If a person ceases to exist, they will be the one thing in the world that does. So when you die, what happens? The Bible says; “For we know if our earthly house, this tent, is destroyed, we have a building, from God, a house not made with human hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed but further clothed. That mortality may be swallowed up by life. Now He who has prepared us for this very thing is God, Who also has given us His Spirit as a guarantee In (2 Corinthians 5:1-5) if indeed, having been clothed, we shall not be found naked. For we who are in this tent groan, being burdened, not because we want to be unclothed but further clothed. That mortality may be swallowed up by life. Think of it like this; Your last day on earth, will be your best day ever! How awesome is that. In (Philippians1:22-23.) Paul tells us “If I continue to live in this life, my work will produce more results. I don’t know which I would prefer. I find it hard to choose between the two. I would like to leave this life and be with Christ. That’s by far the better choice.” So no matter how difficult or blessed your life is here and now, your best days are ahead; days without end, experiencing the joys of Heaven. So make sure your ready when your time comes. The Bible says in (Hebrews 2 14-15)” we are people of flesh and blood. That is why Jesus became one of us. He died to destroy the devil, Who had power over death. But He also died to rescue all of us who live each day in fear of dying.” Theologian Adolf van Harnack said- “Christ’s grave was the birthplace of an indestructible belief that death is vanquished and there is life eternal. It is useless to cite Plato… It is also useless to point to the Persian religion and the ideas and literature of later Judaism. All that would have perished, but the certainty of the resurrection and of a life eternal which is bound up with the grave in Joseph’s garden has not perished, and on the conviction that Jesus lives we still base those hopes of citizenship in an “Eternal City,” which makes our earthly life worth living and tolerable. He delivered them “who, through fear of death, were all their lifetime subject to bondage” Good News: You don’t have to be in bondage to the fear of death! Dr. Simon Greenleaf, The royal professor of law at Harvard And is one of the world’s leading authorities on legal evidence shone the searchlight of his knowledge on the evidence of the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and revealed every thread of that evidence to the most probing critique . And when he did, He concluded that the evidence was so tremendous that in any unbiased courtroom on earth, it would be proclaimed a Historical fact. Dr. Elisabeth Kebler Ross a leading authority on death and dying, along with Dr. Raymond Moody jr. two well-known psychiatrists, examined the case histories of over 500 people who came back to life after being pronounced dead by their Physicians. Their research will convince anyone with an open mind. The people in the study described either a location of beauty, marvel, joy and peace, or they described something dreadfully horrific, And although their bodies were real, They reported floating outside them. after being confirmed “dead”, Some who were blind were able to see, they talked about people who came into the room what they looked like and what they did when they got there. Yet when these people were brought back, the ones who were blind could no longer see. In his book “Life After life” Dr. Moody writes;- “A doctor told me of his experience in attending a man who had been confirmed dead. He succeeded in resuscitating the man who then sued the doctor for bringing him back into this miserable existence from the glory he had experienced. One woman, describing her experience after she had suffered a respiratory arrest, the doctors trying to resuscitate her were pounding on her body while she was over them, looking down, and saying, “Leave me alone” The apostle Paul explains why. In (2 Corinthians 5:1-2) “For we know, If this earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in Heaven, not built by human hands. Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead by our heavenly dwelling. So Rejoice, Be glad and Happy. when you die you will actually come to life, The New Real Life that lasts forever. Praise and Glory to Our God. Thank you for reading these thoughts on “When We Die.” We all have an appointment with our Creator, none of us knows How, when or where that will take place. So be a good scout and “Be Prepared”. See you there, God Bless. Phaline.

89. HOW GOD CHANGES US. 2 Timothy 3;16.

Question 1; What do you need changed in your life? Answer:Your understanding about God?, Who He is, and what He can do for you. In these areas of your life - Your mindset, your attitude, your understanding towards God and or people, Your behaviour or habits and sensitivity toward others etc. Question 2. ;Why do you think you need changing? Do you feel inadequate, misinformed or unacceptable?, Do you have a physical, mental or emotional need or disability that makes you feel you’re not good enough? That is simply not true, God loves everyone the same, He has no favourites, He made you and me the way we are for a very special purpose, we have to find out what that purpose is, and carry it out to the best of our ability. How? Whatever we want to do or achieve in life we have to work at it “Butcher, Baker or Candlestick maker” whatever it is, we have to work at it and the harder we work the bigger the dividends. The Spiritual life is no different. “But I’m not a student” you say, Okay, There are many ways to reach for God and stay in contact with Him. Instead of taking out your phone and listening or watching something that may or may not satisfy you, take five or ten minutes and spend it talking or listening to God. You can reach Him through Christian Radio and TV, or just sitting on your own at home or on a park bench or beach thinking of Him and His creation. Do you play an instrument, join a Christian group, attend a Scripture study or youth group. God can speak to you through anything, just sit quietly in His presence and if you are really serious about changing your life (no matter what you have done or how many times you have drifted away, He will show you the road to take, He doesn’t love you more than He loves me, or the other way around. No! His very identity is love. Whatever He does, His primary motivation is love. So, forget about your perception of people’s opinion about you and carry on reading, maybe I can help. Whatever your answer to question 2 may be, You obviously want to know more about this God/Man and get a deeper understanding of your own about Him. And why He has gone to such lengths to make you His friend, his follower in fact His very own The only true answers to all these questions and many more are in the Bible you are carrying around with you Over the last fifty years of listening to people, I have heard several reasons why people feel inferior, out-of-step or inadequate they just accept their lot in life and live with it. No questions asked. However, that is not God’s answer; He said “If you seek me with all your heart, you WILL find me” and I firmly believe that is the answer to all the above questions which are written in His Word. “The Scriptures.” So, stop thinking about what you can’t do and feeling sorry for yourself, (That is a tool of Satan to make you think you are of no value) accept who you are, and concentrate on what you can do (the gifts you are blessed with) whether you are tall or short, dumb or clever, black or white, blind deaf etc. God made you and me for a particular purpose with all our lumps and bumps for His glory. So talk to Him about your problems and His giftings ; Because He made us all in His own image, for His purpose and Glory.. One of the greatest, simplest and best ways God teaches us is through His Word. And the Bible tells us, “All Scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true” to make us realise what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong, and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip His people to do every good work.(2Timothy 3;16). The story is told of a converted cannibal from the South-sea Islands. He was sitting under a tree by a large pot reading his Bible when an anthropologist approached him and asked “What are you doing?” The native replied “I’m reading the Bible” The anthropologist scoffed and said “Don’t you know that modern, civilized man has rejected that book, it’s nothing but a pack of rubbish, you shouldn’t waste your time reading it.” The cannibal looked him over from head to toe and slowly replied “Sir, if it weren’t for this book – you’d be in this pot by now!” instead of that Antelope !! The Word of God had changed his -life and his appetite. If you are serious about changing your life, you have to get serious about The Bible. You have to read it, study it, memorise it, meditate on it, speak it and apply it. “But, my faith is weak” you say. Are you reading your Bible regularly? Are you studying it? Are you memorising it? No! Then how do you expect your faith to grow? The Bible says”Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (Romans 10:17) The Spirit of God uses the Word of God to make us more like the Son of God. Your eternity (forever) depends on this. Life is not a game, One day we all have to die and end up in one of two places. Have you made that choice? Don’t say things like “I’m a good person, I help other people, and do lots of good things for God, I don’t steel or lie, I go to church and give money to good causes and help where needed. All those are good things to do, but, what is the point of doing all those good things for a God that you hardly know.. What God wants is for you and me to know, love and have a personal relationship with Him. Acknowledging Him daily with humble thanksgiving for what He has done for us, by giving His only Son to take on human flesh, to show us the way and take our place on that Cross for the sins we’ve committed. Why? Because nobody else in all of creation would have been good enough to pay the price our sins deserved. That is what you and I are worth to God, “The very life of His own Son, and why I implore you to get serious about God and His Son Jesus Christ . Another way God changes us is through circumstances. C. S. Lewis said, “Pain insists on being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures… but shouts to us in our pain.” The J. B. Phillips translation of (Romans 8:28-29) reads; “To those who love God, who are called according to His plan, everything that happens fits into a pattern for good. God… chose them to bear the family likeness of His Son.” Nothing can come into your life without your heavenly Father’s permission; it must be “father filtered” The interesting thing about how God uses circumstances as their source makes no difference to Him. Also we often bring problems on ourselves. Sometimes they are caused by others. Sometimes the enemy causes things to happen to us. The source is irrelevant. God said,”I will make it fit into my plan for your life, to make you like Jesus Christ. That means there is no circumstance from which we can’t learn if we maintain the right attitude. Why did Solomon say, in (Proverbs 20:30) “A good beating cleanses away wickedness, such a beating will cleanse the innermost being” Because we only change when our fear of change surpasses our pain. If you want to become more like Jesus, think about this, “Though He was a Son, yet He learned obedience by the things He suffered. (Hebrews 5:8) If God used the challenges, conflicts and circumstances of life to prepare His Son for His destiny, wont He do the same in our lives? So instead of trying to escape our circumstances, Learn from them and grow stronger. Someone once wisely said, “You are not what you think your are, but you are what you think.” Lasting change always begins with new thinking. How do you become a Christian?… By repenting of your sin, and selfishness and placing your trust in Christ. The Greek word for repentance is ‘metanoia’ and it means to change the direction of your mind. We are not changed by willpower, but by the transforming power of God’s Word when we use it to renew our minds each day. The Bible clearly teaches that the way you think is determined by the way you feel, and the way you feel determines the way you act. So if you want to change your actions,, you have to return to the source and change the way you think. At times you may act resentfully. Why? Because you feel resentful. And do you know why you feel resentful? Because you are thinking resentful thoughts. The same is true of anger, worry, lust, and other destructive thought patterns. Thank You first of all for realising, understanding and accepting that like all of us who have a sincere heart for Christ, need and indeed long for.- a change that will bring about in us a depth of relationship with The Son of God that few are able to achieve. So aim to be more like Jesus. Not always easy, but every step in that direction is a winning one, and you will see God change you into something beautiful and good. As we live in His presence, His Holiness and His love I pray God’s Holy Spirit will draw us all into that place where we can say with Paul, “It’s no longer I that lives, but Christ that lives in me” God Bless Phaline.