Time Out! Devotions

(by Dr. Charles Stanley from the June 2010 issue of In Touch Magazine)

Philippians 4:10-19 (NIV)

¹⁰I rejoice greatly in the Lord that at last you have renewed your concern for me. Indeed, you have been concerned, but you had no opportunity to show it. ¹¹I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. ¹²I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

¹⁴Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. ¹⁵Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; ¹⁶for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. ¹⁷Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. ¹⁸I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God. ¹⁹And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Today’s passage presents an interesting paradox. Paul promises the Philippians that God will supply all their needs (v. 19) yet admits that he has experienced times of want (v. 12). To reconcile these two statements, let’s consider God’s divine viewpoint.

Paul wrote these words from a prison cell—a place of great physical discomfort. From a human perspective, we would all agree that God should have provided for Paul by relieving his suffering. But instead, the Lord taught him contentment in this difficult situation. Although his physical discomfort remained, a greater need for a changed attitude was met.

A change of heart toward ongoing suffering is a huge challenge. On our own, it’s impossible, but the Lord promises to strengthen us through Christ. By living in dependence and submission to Him, we gain His power to overcome our negative, sinful attitudes and learn contentment in all kinds of situations.

Our problem is not that the Lord won’t provide for us, but that we so often fail to understand what our deepest needs are. God sees from an unlimited perspective and works for our eternal good, providing for us according to His good purposes from the limitless supply of “His riches in glory.”

Instead of merely pleading with God to take away your difficulty, try asking Him to strengthen you through it. Although He may not always deliver you from trials, you can count on Him to work in you to produce contentment, no matter what your external needs may be.

Deuteronomy 20:1-4 (NIV)

¹ When you go to war against your enemies and see horses and chariots and an army greater than yours, do not be afraid of them, because the LORD your God, who brought you up out of Egypt, will be with you. ² When you are about to go into battle, the priest shall come forward and address the army. ³ He shall say: “Hear, O Israel, today you are going into battle against your enemies. Do not be fainthearted or afraid; do not be terrified or give way to panic before them. ⁴ For the LORD your God is the one who goes with you to fight for you against your enemies to give you victory.”

A lot of negative emotions accompany hardship: frustration, despair, fear, and doubt. People ruled by those feelings often make poor choices. This is why I recommend that you decide now to respond to troubled times the way the Israelites did: with praise. Even in the darkest hours, worshipping God fills the heart with joy and the mind with peace. A believer who is filled in this way can wisely keep a commitment to obey the Lord no matter what.

Worshipping the Lord enlarges our vision. By doing so, we begin to see how He is at work in the world, perhaps in ways and places we never noticed before. More particularly, we see what God is doing in our situation and notice areas where He requires our obedience.

Our human tendency is to plot a course through a situation toward the easiest solution. But believers who strike out on their own do not mature in faith. Moreover, they miss out on the blessings of following the Lord’s plan. Stopping to praise can divert us from the easy way out and direct us to the right path—namely, the way of God’s will. Taking a step forward in faith can be frightening. However, believers are completely safe risking their whole future on the Lord’s faithfulness. He has never disappointed anyone!

It’s hard to despair while honoring the Lord for His love and strength. We can dispel doubt by recalling His past faithfulness—and ease frustration by committing our future plans to Him. Praise is not the obvious reaction to hardship, but it is the wisest response.

(devotional by Dr. Charles Stanley from the May 2010 issue of In Touch magazine)

(by Joan Wester Anderson)

Marie Vincze was driving on a lonely ten-mile stretch of red clay road to drop off her teenage daughter at a wilderness camp.  It was hard enough to keep the car on the slippery mud and not end up in a ditch, but her three young boys were bouncing around in the back seat, and the noise was deafening.  “Pray,” she heard the word in her heart just as the car slid off the road and came to a stop, its wheels stuck in the clay.

“Oh, no!”  Marie opened her door and realized that the mud was almost up to the floorboard.  There was no way they were going to get out of here without help.

“I could have panicked, but I decided to have faith instead,” Marie says.  She turned to the three boys, now completely silent, and said, “Sing your Sunday School songs—right now!—and don’t stop until I tell you to, no matter what!”  Beside her, her daughter rolled her eyes.  This girl believed in nothing at the moment, unless she could see and hear it.  But right now, Marie had to pray.

“God,” she began, “please remember Psalm 91 and let the angels bear us up.  If I ever needed help, it’s now!”  The boys continued to sing, and Marie felt peace spreading over all of them, warming their souls.  Very slowly the back of her small car lifted. Marie did not ask questions—she gassed the car and somehow drove out of the ditch.  The boys cheered.

“Boys, look back and see what an angel looks like!” Marie cried in delight.
“Momma, we can’t see anything,” the oldest told her.
“Well, it’s enough that he is here for us,” Marie pointed out.
“Oh, Momma…” her skeptical daughter started, but Marie interrupted.
“Don’t say anything negative. Just sit there and observe.”

The boys continued to sing, as they traveled on.  Marie was still praying.  “Lord, I hate to bother you, but there’s a cement road coming up. It goes over a creek, and the embankment is red clay.  It drops off on each side, and I’m a little worried….” Fear gripped her for a moment as they approached the trouble spot.  “Sing louder, boys!” she told them.

Taking a deep breath, Marie sped down the crossing, gunned the engine, shot up the embankment…and lost control of the car.  “We started to tip over the embankment,” she says, “and then I heard a gentle tap on the car, and it moved into the center of the road,” Marie says.  “It veered to another drop on the opposite side, and again it was tapped, and it straightened up.”

Again the boys cheered, and Marie gave thanks as she made it across.  She wondered how her non-believing daughter was handling this wonderful occurrence, but there would be time to talk about it all later.

In just a few minutes, the car pulled safely into the camp parking lot, and Marie sighed with relief and opened her door.  The mud, she noticed, had seeped all the way inside to her floorboards.  Well, mud was easily removed.  She got out, went around to the trunk and stopped in astonishment, as the children gathered around her.  “Mom, look!” one of the boys pointed in awe.  There on the back of the muddy car window was a large man’s handprint.

“God does indeed give us a hand in our daily lives,” Marie says, “and thank God for guardian angels.”

Know a Mom who needs to laugh? Check “Moms Go Where Angels Fear to Tread” on the website: http://joanwanderson.com

Copyright 2009 by Joan Wester Anderson. Published by Joan Wester Anderson, P.O. Box 127, Prospect Heights, IL 60070. For more stories of God’s love, check the blog at http://www.joanwanderson.com.

Does what you read in the newspaper depress you? Are you dragged down by the economy and worry?

Some years ago I discovered a way to keep alert and enthusiastic. By memorizing certain statements from the Bible and holding them in my mind, I could in fact restimulate and refresh my spirit.

Listed below are seven negative forces at work and seven healing passages from the Bible to counteract them.

WHEN YOU ARE TIRED:

He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth strength. (Isaiah 40:29)

There is a difference between normal tiredness and that condition of deep fatigue where all your physical resources seem spent. First, believe that God is the source of all energy-in the sun, in plants and in people. Then try this renewal technique. Lie down and relax as best you can. As you repeat the above words from Isaiah, conceive of the Lord as sending through your body His strength and power until your spirit is renewed.

WHEN YOU FEEL UNLOVED:

Above all, take the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. (Ephesians 6:16, 17)

Just as men wore armor In the old days to protect themselves from physical attack, you need spiritual armor today to guard yourself from the fiery darts of the hate and evil thoughts all about. The mind can be a battleground. See yourself as defending it with all your spiritual resources of faith and prayer.

WHEN YOU ARE GRIEVING:

I am the resurrection, and the life: be that believeth in Me, though be were dead, yet shall be live. (John 11:25)

The death of a loved one can bring on a crippling sense of defeat and depression. It often causes the mourner to feel that life will never again be filled with happy, buoyant attitudes. But in a sense you are not true to the departed one if you do not face life again with spirit. The above words have a glorious message-Jesus Christ is alive and those who believe in Him live forever.

WHEN YOU ARE HURT BY GOSSIP:

He hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me. (Hebrews 13:5-6)

If someone gossips about you, do not return evil for evil but pray for him. Do not harden your heart, but forgive him. As a means of building up your own inner defenses to slander, practice turning off your mind to the negative. Instead of thinking of what has been said about you, meditate on the positive way in which you can use conversation to God’s glory.

WHEN YOU ARE ILL:

The prayer of faith shall save the sick. . . . (James 5:15)

With all illness goes a certain amount of despondency which, in turn, can lead to lack of faith. The prayer of faith says, “I believe.” Such a prayer will attune your mind to God and permit His healing forces to operate in you. Many sick people also find it helpful to focus their mind on Jesus when they pray, seeing Him going about Galilee healing every disease, believing that His restoring power is at work today.

WHEN YOU ARE UPSET:

He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be My son. (Revelation 21:7)

Low-spirited people often get that way not from one big trouble but from many small irritations-the pinpricks of life. Lacking a strong grip on God they give in to these daily harassments. The secret of the above passage is to concentrate on the idea that you are a child of God. As God’s child you will receive His strength to handle your weakness. With God’s power, instead of being overcome, you can overcome.

WHEN YOU HAVE NO PEACE:

And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:7)

There is a great hunger for peace today. One answer is to seek peace from God and not from man. When God’s peace enters our hearts, fear and distrust and violence depart.

(by Norman Vincent Peale from OurPrayer.org)