Category Archives: Troubles

In The Shadows??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #441

02 Friday Mar 2018

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Choose You This Day!, Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, God of all comfort!, Growing in Jesus!, I Will Never Leave You, Love, Perseverance, Shadows, The Only Way, The Word, TODAY, Troubles

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #441        In The Shadows???

 

There are many around us today who are going through difficult circumstances, trying times, and deep sorrows and grief, so I thought we’d take a few minutes today to remind ourselves that even though the “shadows” come, we serve the God of light—He is light, and He walks with His own—even in the dark!

Daniel rehearsed the character of God as he praised HIM for answering his prayer for help along with his three friends, who were in peril of their lives. It is an amazing reminder of who our God IS, and that we can praise HIM also! Today!!!

“Daniel answered and said,

Blessed be the name of God

for ever and ever:

for wisdom and might are his:

21 And he changeth the times

and the seasons:

he removeth kings,

and setteth up kings:

he giveth wisdom

unto the wise,

and knowledge

to them that know understanding:

22 He revealeth the deep

and secret things:

he knoweth what is in the darkness,

and the light dwelleth with him.”    Daniel 2:20-22

God knows the valley that you are going through—no matter how dark it seems, no matter how long that valley may seem, and He is with us through it all.

“Yea, though I walk through the valley

of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil:

for thou art with me;

thy rod and thy staff

they comfort me.”   Psalm 23:4

I pray that this brief post will encourage your heart today no matter where you are, or what you may be going through; and that you will remember that God never wastes any opportunity to use our circumstances to grow us in His grace– and to display His love and grace in us, making us a beacon of His love, light and grace to a world that needs Jesus!!! A world that is in the dark!

“Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. 3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;

4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation,

that we may be able to comfort them

which are in any trouble,

by the comfort

wherewith we ourselves

are comforted of God.

5 For as the sufferings of Christ

abound in us,

so our consolation also

aboundeth by Christ.”   2 Corinthians 1:2-5

And this “God of all comfort” is ready to comfort and encourage you today; won’t you look up and open your heart and mind to see His hand extended to you! And as I close our time together today, I’d like to share an old gospel song that God brought to my mind as I sat here writing this post. May it comfort and encourage you and it has my heart so often through the years, especially when those “shadows deepen, and my heart bleeds”!

We’ll Talk It Over

By Ira Stanphill

“Tho’ shadows deepen, and my heart bleeds,
I will not question the way He leads;
This side of Heaven we know in part,
I will not question a broken heart. 

We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We’ll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I’ll ask the reasons – He’ll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye. 

I’ll trust His leading, He’ll never fail,
Thru darkest tunnels or misty vales.
Obey his bidding and faithful be,
Tho’ only one step ahead I see. 

We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We’ll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I’ll ask the reasons – He’ll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye. 

I’ll hide my heartache behind a smile
And wait for reasons ’til after while.
And tho’ He try me, I know I’ll find
That all my burdens are silver lined. 

We’ll talk it over in the bye and bye.
We’ll talk it over, my Lord and I.
I’ll ask the reasons – He’ll tell me why,
When we talk it over in the bye and bye.”

May you recognize that our awesome “God of all comfort” is simply waiting for you to reach out to HIM!!! Have a blessed day my friend and know you are loved and prayed for. Amen and Amen!!!

Clean And Pure! Really??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #437

16 Friday Feb 2018

Posted by in Abundant Life In Jesus, Anger, Choices And Consequences, Choose You This Day!, Confidence, Holiness, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Living Right, Made like Jesus!, Salvation, The Only Way, The Word, Trials, Troubles, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #437   Clean And Pure! Really???

 

We talked last time about Jesus—the real “Valentine”—The One who loves us and gave Himself for our salvation. But how are we to live this life of faith—the life of a child of God. Well there’s only One way to have a clean and pure walk with God, and that’ to walk with HIM, by the power of His Spirit.

“Then he answered and spake unto me, saying, This is the word of the LORD unto Zerubbabel, saying,

Not by might,

nor by power,

but by my spirit,

saith the LORD of hosts.”    Zechariah 4:6

Only by God’s power can we succeed in any part of life, and He has given His Holy Spirit to dwell within each one whom He saves.

“That we should be to the praise of his glory,

who first trusted in Christ.

13 In whom ye also trusted,

after that ye heard the word of truth,

the gospel of your salvation:

in whom also after that ye believed,

ye were sealed with that holy Spirit

of promise,

14 Which is the earnest of our inheritance

until the redemption

of the purchased possession,

unto the praise

of his glory.”    Ephesians 1:12-14

Praise God it is HIS power not our own! As I’m was sitting here writing this—an interruption came! An interruption that has attempted to steal my joy and the power of HIS Spirit in me; an attempt to get my heart and mind off of my Lord and onto the works of my flesh—anger and frustration that take our minds off of HIM and onto ‘me’! But thanks to God’s gentle reminder, I am His and “this too shall pass”, and it’s: “Not by might,

nor by power,

but by my spirit,

saith the LORD of hosts”!

Talk about an ‘object lesson’ right in the middle of this post—God is so good—and He brought this very verse that I was about to write, right into my heart and mind for real!

“Do ye think that the scripture saith in vain,

The spirit that dwelleth in us

lusteth to envy?

6 But he giveth more grace.

Wherefore he saith,

God resisteth the proud,

but giveth grace unto the humble.

7 Submit yourselves therefore to God.

Resist the devil,

and he will flee from you.

8 Draw nigh to God,

and he will draw nigh to you.

Cleanse your hands,

ye sinners;

and purify your hearts,

ye double minded.” James 4:5-8

Lord, I thank you that YOU remind me when my heart and mind start being distracted and get dirty by the interruptions of the world. Help me to “Cleanse” my hands and to “purify” my heart when the enemy tries to distract me from my calling!!! I’m so grateful that you are ever with us, working to make us more like our Master, our Lord and Savior, Jesus!!! May Jesus be praised in us always—and that can only happen when we yield to Your Spirit who is working within us 24/7! Amen and Amen. May you let God reveal your distractions to you today too!

“And we know that

all things

work together for good

to them that love God,

to them who are the called

according to his purpose.

29 For whom he did foreknow,

he also did predestinate

to be conformed to the image of his Son,

that he might be the firstborn

among many brethren….

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?

shall tribulation,

or distress,

or persecution,

or famine,

or nakedness,

or peril,

or sword?

36 As it is written,

For thy sake

we are killed

all the day long;

we are accounted as sheep

for the slaughter.

37 Nay,

in all these things

we are more than conquerors

through him that loved us.”   Romans 8:28-29 & 35-37

Amen and Amen!!!

No Other Hope!!! Bible Ballistics: BBs #434

07 Wednesday Feb 2018

Posted by in Confidence, Faithful is He that has Promised!, HOPE, Jesus Is The Only Way!, The Word, Trials, Troubles

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #434    No Other Hope!!!

 

“Who hath saved us,

and called us with an holy calling,

not according to our works,

but according to his own purpose

and grace,

which was given us in Christ Jesus

before the world began,……..

12 For the which cause I also suffer these things:

nevertheless I am not ashamed:

for I know whom I have believed,

and am persuaded

that he is able

to keep that

which I have committed

unto him

against that day.”   2 Timothy 1:9 & 12

I love the old Hymn taken right from this song, and it reverberates in my heart even this morning as my heart is heavy for people that I love who are in hard places! We all have times in hard places—some more difficult and heart wrenching than we can even imagine or communicate to others, but our GOD is faithful and HE hasn’t forgotten about YOU! And my friends, that is one of the reasons that God gives us each other—to carry the load; to bear the burden; to lift up the prayers; to grieve with those who can’t bear the burden alone!

“Bear ye one another’s burdens,

and so fulfil the law of Christ.”   Galatians 6:2

We can only bear the burdens of others because God is carrying us—the living Lord Jesus Christ “who loved me, and gave himself for me”, who not only died for me/us, but HE lives for us, ever interceding for His own, especially those who are so burdened that they have stumbled under the load, and cannot carry their burden alone!

“Wherefore he is able also

to save them

to the uttermost

that come unto God by him,

seeing he ever liveth

to make intercession for them.”   Hebrews 7:25

Did you get that? Jesus is alive and is faithful to “make intercession” for YOU and me, my dear friends! Talk about a prayer warrior!!! The Prince of Heaven is ever making intercession for us! And because HE is who HE is—we can press on, knowing that He isn’t a dead savior, but our living Lord! Even Job had this great assurance!

“For I know that my redeemer liveth,

and that he shall stand

at the latter day

upon the earth:

26 And though after my skin worms destroy this body,

yet in my flesh shall I see God:

27 Whom I shall see for myself,

and mine eyes shall behold,

and not another;

though my reins be consumed

within me.”   Job 19:25-27

Job declared His confidence in God, regardless of how his circumstances seemed to contradict his relationship with God—Job knew who he knew, and who knew him!!!

“Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him.” Job 13:1

We must simply decide where we will place our faith, our confidence! Will it be in men, in our circumstance, in doctors or drugs, in any other thing upon this earth? Or will we remember that our God REIGNS, and trust Him with it all, regardless of what our eyes behold or our ears hear?

“Although the fig tree shall not blossom,

neither shall fruit be in the vines;

the labour of the olive shall fail,

and the fields shall yield no meat;

the flock shall be cut off from the fold,

and there shall be no herd in the stalls:

18 Yet I will rejoice in the LORD,

I will joy in the God of my salvation.

19 The LORD God is my strength,

and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet,

and he will make me to walk

upon mine high places……”   Habakkuk 3:17-19

We serve a faithful God, The Lord who is at work no matter how things may look. So, whatever you’re going through, no matter how dark the skies may appear, no matter how tired and weary-to-the-bone you may be—look up–your “redemption draweth nigh”, and cast “all your care upon him; for he careth for you.”

“Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have:

for he hath said,

I will never leave thee,

nor forsake thee.

6 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   Amen!!!

MY Prince Of Peace: Bible Ballistics: Vol. 10 No. 22

24 Sunday Dec 2017

Posted by in Confidence, Jesus Is The Only Way!, The Only Way, Trials, Troubles

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Bible Ballistics Vol. 10 No. 22 **MY Prince Of Peace**

 

**This is a guest post from my friend Susan Roach, wife to a pastor, mother of two teenagers, former missionary to Africa, writer and presently a public school teacher, among other things. I hope it will bless you as it has me, and that you will have a renewed sense of your “Prince Of Peace”. Thank you Susan for such a moving and timely word for us today.**

 

“Some girls just sit around like Snow White waiting for their Prince Charming.” The teacher of my marriage class at church made this statement. His point was that marriages aren’t fairy tales, but my inner little girl was bristling.

“Snow White didn’t marry Prince Charming!” I blurted. “Cinderella married Prince Charming. Snow White’s prince didn’t have a name.”

Then, the conversation took a left turn as a room full of 40-somethings debated the names of cartoon princes. I’m not proud to say that I even went home and googled it just to prove myself correct.

I wasn’t.

Cinderella’s prince didn’t have a name in Disney’s version, either. It’s just popular culture that has named him “Charming.” In fact, Cinderella, Snow White, and Belle all married nameless princes in their Disney films. I felt a little offended for those royal guys once I found that out.

Fairy tales. They just fall short of real life. You see, I really do have a Prince who has swept me off my feet. He even rides a white horse (Revelation 19:11-16). And He most defiantly has a name – a host of names, some of which were prophesied hundreds of years before He was born. One of my favorites is “Prince of Peace,” from Isaiah 9:6.

At Christmas time, we hear so much about peace. We retell the story of the angels who lit up the night and told cowering shepherds, “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace on earth to people he favors!” We sing about peace in our Christmas carols. We give red and green tea towels and cards and candles featuring the word “peace” in fancy script.

But if we aren’t careful, we divorce the concept of peace from the Prince. We make it a warm, fuzzy idea instead of a name, the name of a Person, the name of our sovereign.

Jesus is our peace.

A person. Not a feeling.

Jesus redefined that peace Himself with some of His last words to His disciples – right before he was drug off to be crucified. Jesus looked at those men, men who would watch their master be tortured and killed, men who would one day face similar fates themselves, and said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Your heart must not be troubled or fearful.” (John 14:27)

No kidding it wasn’t as the world gives! Jesus was giving them His peace, knowing that in the next 18 hours, He’d be tried, beaten, and crucified. These men were about to live a horror movie themselves, and Jesus promised to share His peace with them? Isn’t peace the absence of horror? The absence of trial or conflict? I mean, the cute little Christmas cherub ornament holding the “peace” plaque looks well fed and content.

No. Jesus clearly knew what they all faced. “Remember the word I spoke to you: ‘A slave is not greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. … I have told you these things to keep you from stumbling. They will ban you from the synagogues. In fact, a time is coming when anyone who kills you will think he is offering service to God. They will do these things because they haven’t known the Father or Me. But I have told you these things so that when their time comes you may remember I told them to you.” (John 15:20, 16:1-4)

Jesus knew the disciples would face far greater trials than awkward Christmas dinners with their in-laws. He knew they’d experience hardship heavier than a couple of siblings jealous of each other’s gifts on Christmas morning. In fact, they’d have to endure things more challenging than caustic co-workers, unreasonable bosses, wayward children, or even the heartbreak of failed marriages. They’d go toe-to-toe with things as difficult as abuse, cruelty, and even the youthful deaths of people they loved more than life. Every nasty thing this broken world can throw at us, those disciples would have to live through.

And Jesus promised them peace.

Because He is the Prince of Peace.

Not because they’d have the absence of conflict, or sorrow, or heartbreak.

Because they had Him.

My Prince.

He was quite specific that he wasn’t offering them the “peace that the world offers.” That kind of peace doesn’t depend on Jesus, and therefore it is fleeting. The world’s peace flows from temporary situations or things: beach vacations, new cars, well-decorated houses, snuggling with our kids sipping hot cocoa on snowy Christmas Eves.

Peace that Jesus give depends on a permanent person who is with us in every situation. My Prince sticks, whether I am on the beach or a bomb shelter. And He gives deeper peace than any walk in a quiet wood could offer. He made it possible for sinful me to have peace with God.

Isaiah 53:5 tells us, “But He was pieced because of our transgression, crushed because of our iniquities, punishment for our peace was on Him, and we are healed by His wounds.”

Jesus had peace to offer His disciples hours before horror began because He was about to go fulfill this verse, written hundreds of years before His birth. He was about to go take their punishment for them.

At Christmas time, as we celebrate His birth, let us never get over the wonder of His death! My Prince was punished so I didn’t have to be. He took it all for me. He became my peace with God on that cross.

That means the worst of conflict – the conflict between me and God — is cancelled. And that inner conflict where I torture myself with my regrets and failures, that’s null and void, too. Jesus paid the price for everything I’d like to beat myself up about. He gave me peace with God and, as a result, inner peace. And that is true no matter my job situation or financial status. It’s true whether my teenagers are acting the way I’d like them to, or whether I’m healthy or ill, or whether I’m living in the wealthy United States or the poorest village in Africa (and I’ve done both) – I have that peace.

Or I could have it. If I’d just put my eyes on my Prince, and not my situation or my feelings. If I’d just choose to remember His words.

“I have told you these things so that when their time comes, you may remember I told them to you.”

And that’s maybe where I fail most often. I choose to put my eyes on my things, on the people around me, on my personal happiness level, and I forget – forget! – Jesus words.

The very words He made such a point to tell me to remember.

In Ephesians 2:13-14, Paul wrote to Gentile believers who were trying to fit in with their new Jewish brothers: “But now in Christ Jesus, you who were far away have been brought near by the blood of the Messiah. For He is our peace, who made both groups one and tore down the dividing wall of hostility in His flesh.”

There it is again. He is our peace. The person of Jesus is peace. It didn’t matter if these particular Jews and Gentiles really enjoyed each other’s personalities or not. It didn’t matter if they felt affectionate toward each other. The Prince of Peace had drawn the Gentiles near to Him, right into the Jewish Christian fold. And that was a fact – no matter how any of them felt about it. Jesus had made peace between the Gentiles and God, and thus between the Jewish and Gentile believers. He was their peace. Their emotions were not their peace. Their Prince was.

My emotions go up and down depending on how much I’m enjoying the company of the person beside me, how much positive feedback I get for a job I tried hard at, or even on how much sleep I got last night. But the fact of Jesus’ peace – the fact that He drew me near to Himself, paid my sin price, and promises to set all things right in the end – that doesn’t change.

I’ve just got to remember.

Remember my Prince. On His white horse.

Who has a name.

 

Sleeping In Heavenly Peace??? Bible Ballistics: BBs #419

15 Friday Dec 2017

Posted by in 'Tis The Season?, Confidence, Jesus Is The Only Way!, Knowing God's Word, Praise God Today!, Salvation, Silent Night?, SIN, The Only Way, The Word, Trials, Troubles, Walking With Jesus

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Bible Ballistics: BBs #419   Sleeping In Heavenly Peace???

 

Of course we have all been hearing the Christmas music around us, and the other day as I was listening to some Christmas Carols, one of everyone’s favorites was playing, “Silent Night”. As I was listening it struck me in a way that I’d never perceived before. So often we hear things but we don’t grasp the depth of what we are hearing; well, that is what happened to me as I heard that line that we have probably all sung repeatedly, “Sleep in heavenly peace”. Even as I type it I can’t help but sing that lovely old Carol. But what was so profound to me was that it occurred to me, how does one “sleep in heavenly peace”?

 

Of course the Christ child could “sleep in heavenly peace” because He was from heaven, come to earth to “save his people from their sins” (See Matt. 1:21), but what about you and I? Can we “sleep in heavenly peace”? As best as I can discern and determine from scripture, there is only One Way to be able to do that, and that is to be “born again” by repentance and faith in the substitutionary, atoning sacrifice that Jesus made on the cross!

“But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: 13 Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.” John 1:12-13

Jesus was born into this world that we might be “born again” to eternal life!!! Not to be trite, but that is what “Christmas” is all about! Jesus, the Messiah of all mankind, taking on human flesh and blood to pay the price for our sin! Without Him, we would have no hope, for only HE can give us that “heavenly peace”, even as scripture declares!

“Therefore being justified by faith,

we have peace with God

through our Lord Jesus Christ:

2 By whom also we have access

by faith

into this grace

wherein we stand,

and rejoice

in hope of the glory of God.”    Romans 5:1-2

Jesus has reconciled us to God, for we were at enmity with Him because of our sin, even as Romans 5 continues:

“For when we were yet without strength,

in due time Christ died

for the ungodly.

7 For scarcely for a righteous man

will one die:

yet peradventure for a good man

some would even dare to die.

8 But God commendeth his love toward us,

in that,

while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us.

9 Much more then, being now justified

by his blood,

we shall be saved

from wrath

through him.

10 For if, when we were enemies,

we were reconciled

to God

by the death of his Son,

much more,

being reconciled,

we shall be saved

by his life.

11 And not only so,

but we also joy in God

through our Lord Jesus Christ,

by whom we have now received

the atonement.” Romans 5:6-11

What a wonder, that the sinless, holy and perfect Son of God would come to save us, you and me—sinners who deserved the destiny of hell, restored to relationship, love and peace with God. Not just the “peace of God that passeth all understanding” which Paul wrote about to the Philippians, but “peace with God”, the very God who hates sin (always has, still does, and always will!), but loved us so much that “He gave His only begotten Son” to pay for our sin! Just as Paul declared in the above passage:

“while we were yet sinners,

Christ died for us……

       when we were enemies,

we were reconciled

to God”

Amen and Amen! To God be the glory, that He sent Jesus—God with us, Emmanuel—to pay for our sin, and to give us HIS peace within, no matter the chaos and trouble without! We often think that peace is the absence of turmoil, but peace is so much more—it is the perfect “peace of God” as well as “peace with God” that is with us regardless of the outward circumstance! And when I have HIS peace and His presence, I can truly “sleep in heavenly peace”! Even as the Psalmist declared so long ago, may we sleep well! And rejoice in the glory of Jesus every day!!!

“I will both lay me down

in peace,

and sleep:

for thou, LORD, only

makest me dwell in safety.”    Psalm 4:8