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Showing posts with label Relationships. Show all posts

Saturday, November 18, 2023

Destruction or Abundance – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement - Purity 1201


Destruction or Abundance – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement - Purity 1201

Purity 1201 11/17/2023 Purity 1201 Podcast

Purity 1201 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the silhouettes or trees and a rustic barn in the foreground of a sky painted by the fading light of sunset comes to us from yours truly as I captured this scene at the “end of the Road” last weekend in the farmlands just off of Waite Rd in Easton NY.  

Well, It’s Saturday and I am back at my countryside home with my wife TammyLyn for the weekend and yes – we are reunited and it does feel so good – as we will spend the day today on another hike somewhere in the Saratoga or Adirondack areas of the “real upstate NY”– or as I call it “ The Great White North” and possibly go to see the new Nativity inspired – Christmas Story Musical, “Journey to Bethlehem later today.  I’m not sure exactly where the day will take us, but I hope to we hope to continue to experience the fullness of joy that we continually find in our God-centered marriage.

However, as happy as I am in my marriage to TammyLyn and look forward to celebrating Thanksgiving this week, I recognize that for many November of 2023 has brought some real challenges in the form of disappointments, failures, broken relationships, and death.  I also recognize that this transitioning time from autumn to winter, and the movement into the holiday season can bring with it memories of previous losses or the ways things used to be but will be no more.  Quite a few of my friends are suffering this year, and some are experiencing the anniversaries of losses and painful changes, that are over or not quite a year old.    

For those of us who are content or happy right now, we should be grateful but also be aware and sensitive to those who are suffering by offering our presence, prayers, help, or understanding to those whose problems, pain, or losses make it difficult to be thankful.  

We have to walk the fine line listening and be present with those whose pain is great and knowing when to offer an encouraging word that could help them to rise out of the depths of despair.  We have to try to be aware of the “time of the season” and respond appropriately.    

Ecclesiastes 3:1-8 (NKJV) tells us
1  To everything there is a season, A time for every purpose under heaven:
2  A time to be born, And a time to die; A time to plant, And a time to pluck what is planted;
3  A time to kill, And a time to heal; A time to break down, And a time to build up;
4  A time to weep, And a time to laugh; A time to mourn, And a time to dance;
5  A time to cast away stones, And a time to gather stones; A time to embrace, And a time to refrain from embracing;
6  A time to gain, And a time to lose; A time to keep, And a time to throw away;
7  A time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;
8  A time to love, And a time to hate; A time of war, And a time of peace.

So, we have to try to be wise and discerning in terms of the help we give because any one of these situations could be playing out in the lives of the people we encounter this week.  

While silence may be the appropriate response to much of what you run into this week, I both exercise that option and not practice it by sharing an encouraging word from Lauren Roskilly of Mindful of Christ.net who shared this “Word for Wednesday” that teaches us that the spiritual forces of darkness may play a part in your suffering and that we are not helpless against our negative thoughts or emotions and that we can choose by faith to respond rather than react to the enemy’s attacks or the negative circumstances of our lives to experience the life of peace that God wants us to live, regardless of the “times of the season.”  Lauren shares:

John 10:10 (NLT2)
10  The thief’s purpose is to steal and kill and destroy. My purpose is to give them a rich and satisfying life.

Destruction or abundance?

Whenever you come across any thought, situation, person, or experience that takes away, ruins, or eliminates your faith, peace and joy and takes you away from Christ and His plans for your life then know that that thought, situation, person, or experience is from the devil & his minions. He is the one that wants to ruin you and your relationship with the Triune God.

God intends and promises you abundance, in mind, spirit and soul. You CAN know His peace.

Note that God doesn’t promise we won’t have to deal with the devil’s schemes, we will, but He does promise us His comfort and strength to deal with them. And that abundance includes the fruit of the Spirit; peace, love, joy, patience, kindness gentleness, faithfulness, and self-control.

Notice how you respond and react to each thought, situation, person, or experience. You can choose destruction and lack, or you can choose to stand against the devil and choose the peaceful and abundant life that God has for you.

When a thought, situation, person, or experience occurs, ask yourself, “Is this from God or will it steal, kill, or destroy my faith or growth with Christ?”

What will you choose?

-Lauren Roskilly, Mindful of Christ (https://mindfulofchrist.net/) – Word for Wednesday 11/15/23 ”

Thank You, Lauren.  Her words expose the enemy’s strategies to drive us into despair and destruction and unfortunately, he doesn’t take it easy on those who are already suffering loss, pain, or heartbreak.  So whether you are just feeling low in general or have some very real and present problems and heartaches, remember to take every thought captive to the obedience of Christ – just because you feel down doesn’t mean we stop doing what is right – and choose to remember that the Lord is with you and choose to spend time in His presence to receive the comfort, wisdom, or strength you need to help you to endure or to change your perspective by focusing on the good that is present in your life right now and the God who will never leave you or forsake you in any time or season.

When we keep walking and talking with God, we can overcome anything and we remember to submit to God, and resist the devil, we can experience the peace that goes beyond all understanding and beyond our current circumstances.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (ESV)
1  Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2  You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3  Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
4  Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5  and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6  and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
7  To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

8  For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit,
9  to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit,
10  to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11  All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Today’s verses are the second of two passages of scripture that fall under the fifth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

 5. Gifts of the Spirit differ. Each member must use his or her gifts to serve others.

Today’s verses encourage us that we don’t all have to be the same. There are different gifts that the Lord has for us that can be used for God’s glory and for good of the body of Christ.   So you be you and I’ll be me and let’s both consider the gifts that the Lord has given us and rejoice in the fact that He knows us and loves us for who we are and allows us to ‘be ourselves” in the way that we follow and serve His kingdom.    

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from A. W. Pink’s – The Arthur Pink Anthology  - a collection of A.W. Pink’s tracts brought together in one book and dispersed here on the blog for your encouragement.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for free as a PDF at many sites, but printed copies of collections of A.W. Pink’s books are available for purchase wherever Christian books are sold. 

The Arthur Pink Anthology – 6

Christian Fools – Part 5 of 8

And listen again! If God’s truth is to be presented proportionately and effectively then each truth of God’s Word must be presented separately. If I am speaking upon the humanity of Christ, if I am seeking to emphasize the reality of His manhood, how that He was made like unto His brethren in all things, how that He was tempted in all points as they were—sin excepted—I would not bring into my sermon a reference to His Godhood; and if you were to hear me preach the next twelve Sunday nights on the manhood of Christ and never refer to His Deity in those sermons, I hope none of you brethren would be so foolish as to draw the conclusion, Oh dear me, Brother Pink no longer believes in the Godhood of our Savior.

Again, if I am preaching on the wrath of God, the holy hatred of God for sin and His vengeance upon it, I would be weakening my sermon to bring in at the close a reference to His tenderness, mercy and love, for in my judgment that would be to blunt the point of the special truth I was seeking to press on the unconverted. And, in the same way, if I am pressing on the unconverted their need, their duty and importance of seeking the Lord, calling upon, coming to and believing on Him for themselves, I would not bring in or explain the work of the Holy Spirit in conversion.

Each truth needs to be presented separately that it may have its clear outline presented to the heart and to the mind. And after all, my friends, we are not saved by believing in the Spirit, we are saved by believing in Christ. We are not saved by believing in the work of the Spirit within us (no man was ever saved by believing that); we are saved by trusting in the work of Christ outside of us. O may God help us to maintain the balance of truth. There is something more in this Book, brethren and sisters, beside election, particular redemption and the new birth. They are there, and I would not say one word to weaken or to repudiate them, but that is not all that is in this Book. There is a human side. There is man’s responsibility. There is the sinner’s repentance. There is the sinner’s believing in Christ. There is the pressing of the gospel upon the unsaved; and I want to tell you frankly that is a church does not evangelize it will fossilize: and, if I am not much mistaken, that is what happened to some of the Strict Baptist Churches in Australia. Numbers of them that once had a healthy existence are now no more; and some others are already dead but they are not yet buried; and I believe one of the main reasons for that is this—they failed at the vital point of evangelism. If a church does not evangelize it will fossilize. That is God’s method of perpetuating His work and of maintaining His churches. God uses means, and the means that the Holy Spirit uses in His work is the preaching of the gospel to the unconverted, to every creature. True, the preaching will avail nothing without the Spirit’s blessing and application. True, no sinner will or can believe until God has quickened him. Yet he ought to, and is commanded to.

Now I meant, if time had allowed me, to come back again to the text and give you a few striking examples of where many have failed in holding the balance of God’s truth. Take for example the Unitarians. I have met numbers of Unitarians who believe this Book is God’s word, and believe that they can prove their creed from this Book. They appeal to such Scriptures as Deuteronomy 6:4—“The Lord our God is one Lord.” Their creed is the unity of God and they argue that if there be three divine persons there must be three Gods; they cannot harmonize them, they cannot reconcile three persons with one God; so what do they do? Well, they hold fast to the one and they let go the other. They say the two won’t mix—either God is one or else He is three; He cannot be both. When they come to the Person of Christ they emphasize such passages as—“He grew in wisdom.” Well, they say, if He was a divine person, how could He grow in wisdom? They emphasize such passages as “He prayed,” and they say it is an absurdity to think of God praying to God. They say, He died—how could God die? No, He cannot be divine: He is a good man; He is a holy man; He is a perfect man; and because they cannot reconcile the two classes of Scriptures they believe the one and reject the other. And Christ says to them, Ye are fools because ye are slow of heart to believe all.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)    

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Arthur Pink Anthology (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).

Saturday, November 11, 2023

Too Much? When To Shut Up and Take a Break - Purity 1196

 

Too Much? When To Shut Up and Take a Break - Purity 1196

Purity 1196 11/11/2023 Purity 1196 Podcast

Purity 1196 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of the sun setting over a beach where some sit and rest while another walks alone comes to us from Dan Philips who captured this scene while vacationing in Sayulita Mexico and shared it with a “photo dump” of many others on social media on November 5th.  Thanks for sharing, Dan, although I should caution that “dumping 75 plus photos” all at once may have been a bit “too much”.  

Well, it’s Saturday, and while I can handle all the photos you want to share on social media, I caution my friend about his possibly sharing too much, because I recently just happened to receive that message yesterday,  and while I say it facetiously – it may in fact not be a joke – because the message I received delivered a powerful punch of shame, sadness, bewilderment, shock, and some devasting real-life consequences.  

As I have been blogging about in part for most of the last year, I currently am attending Deeper Walk International’s School of Prayer Ministry and have recently been working toward meeting my final requirements for “graduation” and being certified as a “Deeper Walk International Certified Prayer Minister but yesterday I received the devastating news that I would NOT be certified in December as I expected because it has determined by my cohort leader that I lack one of the “relational skills” that is essential for a Deeper Walk certified prayer minister to have.  I require additional time and training in the area of attuning with other’s emotions and recognizing when others may be overwhelmed.”  

My instructor has recommended I take ThriveToday’s course “Building Trust: Attune vs Overwhelm” (https://secure.lglforms.com/form_engine/s/7rF3p2rCo6U8VvidjhujfQ ) and that I seek additional prayer ministry training opportunities with certified DW prayer ministers to grow in my skills and to improve my use of listening prayer methods, like Immanuel Prayer and REAL Prayer. 

While I fully accept my instructor's evaluation and recommendations and will follow whatever course I have to in order to meet the requirements for certification, I have to be honest and tell you that this is a heartbreaking disappointment as I can’t help but see it as yet another failure and rejection in a very long line of failures and rejections that I have experienced in life. 

While I’ve had my fair share of failures and rejections in my life, this one hurts quite a bit because I didn’t see it coming and thought I was not only meeting the requirements for the completion of this program but thought I was excelling at it.

But I guess that’s part of the problem, I didn’t see the signs and I thought everything was fine when they weren’t. And so I am acknowledging and accepting that I need to improve in the area of knowing what “the emotional atmosphere” is like when ministering to others is and when what I am doing and saying has ceased helping and is actually “overwhelming others”. 

The instructor observed in my interactions with my colleagues in the cohort and in the stories I related from my experiences in ministering to others in the past that in my enthusiasm for “helping”, encouraging, and instructing others I could fail to recognize when the people I minister to maybe “overwhelmed” and I didn’t have a good gauge when others might be beyond their capacity to receive. In essence, sometimes, I talk too much and don’t recognize when people have heard enough, or too much, and need a break.  

When faced with awkward silences, I fill them with words instead of recognizing that I should stop.  It turns out that what I thought of as a skill turned out to be a weakness.

In my previous roles as a teacher for recovery and freedom ministry, my duty was to deliver “the message”. In a classroom environment, there will be those who are paying attention and there will be those who are distracted or totally tuned out.  In the classroom setting, while you can engage the students to get their attention from time to time, if you address every student who seems checked out, you run the risk of losing focus and delivering the material you need to deliver.  In my freedom ministry classes that I did in 2021, which I recorded for a podcast, there was increased pressure to stay on message because I wasn’t just teaching to those before me, so I have developed the tendency to “keep talking” – “keep teaching” until I say what I need to say, and while that may or may not have been an admirable quality in the classroom, I suppose I revert to it when I am in conversations that go “quiet”. 

Instead of waiting for the other person to speak or giving them a break, I will keep talking.  

Okay, this is not a conversation but if it were, I would take a long pause to listen, or at least I would like to think I would.

Also, besides trying to encourage and instruct, I also try to be transparent about my life. I have learned to try to be as honest and as forthcoming in presenting myself to others and now I am realizing that I could be guilty of “oversharing”. 

This was pointed out to me by my instructor’s comments regarding a paper I submitted regarding our experience as a “prayer ministry client”, putting ourselves in the shoes of a client for 6 sessions of prayer ministry, where the paper called for 5-8 pages and I, in my enthusiasm, submitted 14 pages, plus a two-page bibliography, and instead of asking for an extension or guidance on the length of my paper – I just submitted – apparently overwhelming my instructor!

I know, way to go M.T.!  Believe me, if I knew then what I know now not only would I have reduced the word count on that paper, but I would have exercised the right to remain silent a lot more in class and in sharing my less than stellar experiences in ministering to others!

I mean think about it, what stories do you share in life.  Do you share the stories where everything went fine and not much happened?  “I lead Bob through the Steps. We finished in 3 hours, and everything went great -  a good resolution without incident”  Or  “I had this one client who was manifesting demons and who took 8 hours doing the steps before we called out to Jesus and the Holy Spirit finally set us both free!”  I know 8 hours? I was learning and was along for the ride as much as leading that freedom appointment. I didn’t push the client through that one, I was holding on and rolling with the punches.  

So yes in my conversations, I tend to get carried away in telling the stories of how God has moved in my life and in the life of others. Because I know how ignorant I was of who I am in Christ and the possibility of a life of freedom in Christ, I tend to “overshare” what I have come to know about living in the Spirit.  

And that enthusiasm, and lack of discernment on my part to recognize that I can “overwhelm” the people I seek to encourage or help, has resulted in the biggest personal failure I have had since my divorce in 2018. 

As much as I can see the truth of the errors of my ways, and acknowledge the need for growth, the pain over the sense of failure and rejection is sharp.  They say shame is the sense that not only have you done something wrong, but you feel that there is something wrong with you and I can’t help but admit that I am experiencing that today and have known it for all too long in my life.   WHAT” S WRONG WITH ME!?!?!

Besides, what you have admitted to thus far, M.T., would you like a list?

No, thanks, I am more than capable of doing that on my own…

But I know that God loves me – even though I talk too much.

I know that God accepts me, even though I might be a “bull in a China shop” of people’s emotions and limited capacities.

And I know that this journey of pain has a happy ending. 

And I know that today is another day.  And I can’t go back and “shut up” and give people a “break” but I can go forward and learn to do so in the future.  

So keep walking and talking with God, you won’t overwhelm Him, but He will probably encourage you to stop and listen when things go wrong and to you feel like a failure and the whole world rejects you. He will invite you into His grace to give you the healing and wisdom and strength to keep going when all seems lost.

I always point to God’s words to Cain when He was depressed over his failed sacrifice. 

Genesis 4:6-7 (NIV2011) says
6  Then the LORD said to Cain, “Why are you angry? Why is your face downcast?
7  If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? …

So, I’ll cover my broken heart and try to turn my frown upside down and “do what is right”.  I will accept this failure as an opportunity to grow and remember my peace and joy is found in the Lord, not in my accomplishments, and that no matter what the future holds in terms of my desire to be certified by Deeper Walk International, I am secure, I am accepted, I am significant, and thank God, I am loved in Christ alone.

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

Ephesians 4:3-6 (NLT2)
3  Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace.
4  For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future.
5  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism,
6  and one God and Father, who is over all and in all and living through all.

Today’s verses fall under the first point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Church, Communion of the Saints.

 1. The church is one.

Today’s verses tell us to make every effort to be united in the Spirit, and that we should bind ourselves together with other believers to be assured of the glorious hope for our future with the one true God.  

Yeah, life can stink. But God has overcome the world. So regardless of our losses, let’s walk in the Spirit together and tie ourselves to the enduring hope that transcends the circumstances of our lives.  

The church can be a place of pain as we struggle to edify one another and serve the Lord, but when we keep first things first and let go of our pride, we can have experience the peace that comes from knowing that regardless of our performance or our relationships here on earth, we are safe in God’s kingdom forever.

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from A. W. Pink’s – The Arthur Pink Anthology  - a collection of A.W. Pink’s tracts brought together in one book and dispersed here on the blog for your encouragement.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for free as a PDF at many sites, but printed copies of collections of A.W. Pink’s books are available for purchase wherever Christian books are sold. 

The Arthur Pink Anthology – 5

Chosen to Salvation

“But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth”

(2 Thessalonians 2:13)

There are three things here which deserve special attention. First, the fact that we are expressly told that God’s elect are “chosen to salvation:” Language could not be more explicit. How summarily do these words dispose of the sophistries and equivocations of all who would make election refer to nothing but external privileges or rank in service! It is to “salvation” itself that God has chosen us. Second, we are warned here that election unto salvation does not disregard the use of appropriate means: salvation is reached through “sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth” It is not true that because God has chosen a certain one to salvation that he will be saved willy-nilly, whether he believes or not: nowhere do the Scriptures so represent it. The same God who “chose unto salvation,” decreed that His purpose should be realized through the work of the spirit and belief of the truth. Third, that God has chosen us unto salvation is a profound cause for fervent praise. Note how strongly the apostle express this—“we are bound to give thanks always to God for you. brethren beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salvation,” etc. Instead of shrinking back in horror from the doctrine of predestination, the believer, when he sees this blessed truth as it is unfolded in the Word, discovers a ground for gratitude and thanksgiving such as nothing else affords, save the unspeakable gift of the Redeemer Himself.[1]

---------------------------more tomorrow------------------------

Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

(https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-mt4christ247s-podcast/id1551615154). The mt4christ247 podcast is also available on Google Podcasts, Amazon Podcasts, Spotify, iHeartradio, and Audible.com. 

These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship


[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Arthur Pink Anthology (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).


Friday, November 10, 2023

He Will Restore Your Soul – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement and Reminder - Purity 1195

 

He Will Restore Your Soul – A Mindful of Christ Encouragement and Reminder - Purity 1195

Purity 1195 11/10/2023 Purity 1195 Podcast

Purity 1195 on YouTube: 



Good morning,

Today’s photo of a “Bridge over Tranquil Waters” comes to us from Fred Dimmick who shared this peaceful scene on social media this week captioning it as “Tranquility at the river”, 

Well, It’s Friday – and as we are observing Veteran’s Day tomorrow, with the day off today, I am at my wife, TammyLyn’s countryside estate for a three-day weekend where I fully expect to discover a measure of tranquility as we are scheduled to see a show tonight, Seussical the Musical, at the Charles R. Wood Theater in Glens Falls this evening for a little fun and I’m not sure what else for tomorrow. But I do know that a long weekend with my wife will give me a peaceful easy feeling just being in her presence.  

Last night after dinner, and before my online Zoom Cohort Meeting with Deeper Walk International’s School of Prayer Ministry, I had a half-hour window of “free time” to spend and instead of trying to get ahead on school or ministry work or do anything “productive”, I just asked TammyLyn if she would “lay with me”.  Now don’t get any funny ideas, while I am a virile sexy beast of a man when I want to be, I just wanted to rejoice in her presence by lying down and holding her in my arms, fully clothed.  I miss my wife during the week and while I only had half an hour to spend, I wanted to invest all of it in my love for her.  So we just held one another and rested in one another’s arms until my meeting began.  Simple times like that can build your relationship and give you rest, and I was reminded how blessed I was to have a wife who loved me and who could relax long enough to do that.

Of course, I didn’t always have TammyLyn. After my previous marriage was destroyed by divorce, I decided to follow the provisions for gentile Christians highlighted in Acts 15, and remained sexually pure and was fully prepared to remain that way for the rest of my life, with the hope that I wouldn’t have to of course, and thankfully the Lord brought TammyLyn into my life in 2021, and she became be my faithful Christian wife  on New Year’s Day 2022. So how did I cope between 2018 and 2021? Where did I find my rest? Where did I restore my soul?

Although I wasn’t dating, I wasn’t alone. I had friends in the body of Christ and family  in my life of course but the relationship that has persisted and carried me through some of the worst days of my life, was my relationship with the Lord. In his presence, I find strength, peace, love, and joy. He can restore our soul.  

So in the spirit of restoring our souls, I share Lauren Roskilly’s short encouragement based on Psalm 23:2-3, that sent out as this week’s Word for Wednesday from her ministry Mindful of Christ.net  You can subscribe to receive emails of Lauren’s Word for Wednesday for yourself to be encouraged weekly and be equipped by other Christian Resources by Lauren Roskilly by going to https://mindfulofchrist.net/. 

Psalm 23:2-3 (ESV)
2  He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters.
3  He restores my soul. He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Lauren writes:

 

He will restore your soul

 

We all have the ability and privilege of being able to spend time with Him in his presence. When you do, He will lead you by still waters and restore your soul!

 

By simply sitting in His presence you will also:

- Experience His peace, love & joy (fruits of the Spirit)

- Find calmness

- Hear His voice

 

So, stop, take time out and rest with the Lord. Whether you are 'busy', stressed' or simply trundling through life, we all need the Lord.

 

But, perhaps you need to be intentional about it. For instance; Make a post-it note, add it to the calendar, set reminders.

This week, challenge yourself to make time to sit still with Him.

 

So if you want to experience those green pastures, be led beside those still waters & be restored then make your time with Him your priority.”

Thanks for that simple advice and encouragement, Lauren! So as many of us have a three day weekend, let me encourage you to take my friend’s advice and make time with the Lord a priority because while we may be able to find a measure of rest and relaxation in the world, only a close personal relationship with God, through faith in Jesus Christ, and time spent in His presence can restore your soul.  

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For those who want more evidence for Christianity than my simple encouragements provide, I offer apologist, Frank Turek’s website, https://crossexamined.org/ .

Today’s Bible verse comes to us from “The Quick Scripture Reference for Counseling” By John G. Kruis.

( While Bible verses on various topics of Counseling can be found with a quick Google search, we encourage you to purchase this resource to support the late author’s work. (https://www.amazon.com/Quick-Scripture-Reference-Counseling-Kruis-ebook/dp/B00CIUJZT2?ref_=ast_author_dp )

This morning’s meditation verses come from the section on Children.

2 Samuel 12:18-23 (ESV)
18  On the seventh day the child died. And the servants of David were afraid to tell him that the child was dead, for they said, “Behold, while the child was yet alive, we spoke to him, and he did not listen to us. How then can we say to him the child is dead? He may do himself some harm.”
19  But when David saw that his servants were whispering together, David understood that the child was dead. And David said to his servants, “Is the child dead?” They said, “He is dead.”
20  Then David arose from the earth and washed and anointed himself and changed his clothes. And he went into the house of the LORD and worshiped. He then went to his own house. And when he asked, they set food before him, and he ate.
21  Then his servants said to him, “What is this thing that you have done? You fasted and wept for the child while he was alive; but when the child died, you arose and ate food.”
22  He said, “While the child was still alive, I fasted and wept, for I said, ‘Who knows whether the LORD will be gracious to me, that the child may live?’
23  But now he is dead. Why should I fast? Can I bring him back again? I shall go to him, but he will not return to me.”.

Today’s verses fall under the sixth point of our counseling reference guide resource’s section on Children.

 6. David was comforted by the knowledge that his infant son went to heaven when he died and that he would see him there.

Today’s verses remind us that even in the deepest tragedy of death we can have hope because there is life after death and the faithful know that they will see their faithful loved ones again.  

Some may have thought David was a little cold in “getting over” his son’s death so soon but we all grieve differently and when you have a deep faith and knowledge that God has our loved ones in His hands, we can have a peace over our loved one’s departure.  

For the Christian, we don’t need to wonder where our departed loved ones go, or if their leaving us was “right”.  We know that God gives us life and He decides when to take it. We also know that He is good and that His ways are higher than our ways. So while we may not understand why our loved ones had to die when and how they did, we can trust that God either has them safe with in His kingdom or they have rightly been judged and sent where they chose to go.  If you choose to reject God’s presence in life, you can be assured you won’t be forced into after death.  We are all responsible for the consequences of our decisions and no one ends up where they didn’t choose in the end.  

David knew this and He knew God would lovingly welcome his son, an innocent baby, into His kingdom and because, David had a heart for God and a covenant relationship with Him, he knew he would see his son again.   

Our faith in and relationship with God is the most important thing about us. It holds the answer to life and death and determines where we go beyond this mortal coil.  Until Jesus returns death will come, but those in Christ will live and the only work we will have to do in grief is to adjust from the absence of our lost loved ones from our lives here on earth, because if they knew Jesus, we will see them again.   

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As always, I invite all to go to mt4christ.org where I always share insights from prominent Christian theologians and counselors to assist my brothers and sisters in Christ with their walk.

Today we are sharing from A. W. Pink’s – The Arthur Pink Anthology  - a collection of A.W. Pink’s tracts brought together in one book and dispersed here on the blog for your encouragement.

As always, I share this information for educational purposes and encourage you all to purchase A.W. Pink’s books for your own private study and to support his work.  This resource is available online for free as a PDF at many sites, but printed copies of collections of A.W. Pink’s books are available for purchase wherever Christian books are sold. 

The Arthur Pink Anthology – 4

Bearing the Rod – Part 2 of 2

If the “trouble” through which we are passing at any period of our lives be a reproof from God because of our sins or unfaithfulness, and instead of suspecting that He is displeased with us and taking our place in the dust before Him, begging Him to put His finger on the festering sore in our hearts: if instead, we proudly imagine that there is nothing wrong in our lives, that we have given God no cause to smite us, and complacently assume that we are suffering only for “righteousness’ sake,” and draw comfort from such promises as Matthew 5:11, 12, we are deceived by Satan, and are but “forsaking our own mercy” (Jonah 2:8). It is written, He that covereth his sins shall not prosper” (Prov. 28:13). Thus, whenever “trouble” comes upon a Christian it is always the safest policy to come to the Lord and say, “Teach me, and I will hold my tongue: and cause me to understand wherein I have erred” (Job 5:24).

From what has been said above, it will be seen that it often falls to the lot of God’s servants to perform a duty which is most unpleasant to the flesh. When they come into contact with a Brother or Sister who is passing through deep waters, their natural desire is to administer comfort, but in some instances (at least) to do so would be guilty of “healing also the hurt of the daughter of My people slightly:” and how is this done? The same verse tells us, by “saying, Peace, peace, when there is no peace” (Jer. 6:14). That was what the ‘false prophets” had done to Israel, and that was the very thing which carnal Israel desired: their demand was, “Prophesy not unto us right things, speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits” (Isa. 30:10); and human nature has not changed any since then!

It is a thankless task for any true servant of Christ today to be faithful to his Master, and faithful to the souls of those with whom he deals. Not that God requires him to think the worst of every case that comes to his notice, but that it is his burden duty to exhort each one to act on Job 10:2. But if he does do so, he may be assured at the beginning, that in the majority of cases he will be looked upon as harsh, hypercritical, unkind, like one of Job’s censorious comforters; for there are few indeed who have an honest heart, are ready to know the worst about themselves, and are willing to be cut by the knife of God’s Word. The great majority want only comfort, the “promises” of Scripture, the message of “Peace, peace.

But do not the Promises of God belong unto His children? Certainly they do: but here too “there is a season, and a time to every purpose” (Eccl. 3:1): there is a time when we may rightfully draw consolation and strength from the promises, and there is a time when we may not legitimately do so. When all is right between our souls and God, when every known sin has been confessed, and forsaken in sincere purpose of heart, then may we righteously draw milk from the breasts of Divine consolation. But just as there are times when it would be injurious for us to eat some of the things we do when we are well, so to take unto ourselves comfort from the Divine promises while sin is cherished in our hearts, is baneful and sinful.

The above (now slightly revised) recently sent by us in a letter to one passing through deep waters. It occurred to us that it might be a timely word for others. Many are now in the fiery furnace, and few indeed are there capable of speaking to them a word in season. It is not sufficient to bid them “Trust in God,” and assure them that brighter days are ahead. The conscience needs to be searched; the wound must be probed and cleansed, before it is ready for “the balm of Gilead;” we must humble ourselves “beneath the mighty hand of God” (1 Pet. 5:6), if we are to be exalted again by Him in “due time.” May the Lord be pleased to bless the above unto some of “His own.”[1]

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Join our “Victory over the Darkness”, “The Bondage Breaker”, "Freedom in Christ" series of Discipleship Classes via the mt4christ247 podcast!

at https://mt4christ247.podbean.com, You can also find it on Apple podcasts

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These teachings are also available on the MT4Christ247 YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@MT4Christ247

Email me at mt4christ247@gmail.com to receive the class materials, share your progress, and to be encouraged.

My wife, TammyLyn, also offers Christian encouragement via her Ask Seek Knock blog (https://tammylynask.blogspot.com/ ),  her Facebook Group: Ask, Seek, Knock (https://www.facebook.com/groups/529047851449098 ) and her podcast Ask, Seek, and Knock on Podbean (https://feed.podbean.com/tammalyn78/feed.xml)

“The views, opinions, and commentary of this publication are those of the author, M.T. Clark, only, and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of any of the photographers, artists, ministries, or other authors of the other works that may be included in this publication, and do not necessarily reflect the views or positions of any entities the author may represent.”

Encouragement for the Path of Christian Discipleship



[1] Arthur Walkington Pink, The Arthur Pink Anthology (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2005).